While recovering from a leg injury, our Australian Shepherd has had to be in a cone of shame for a while. She’s healing well, but for a dog that had sensitive hearing and barked at EVERYTHING before, that cone lets her hear even more! Everything must sound weird to Bella right now, and if there’s a UPS truck within a mile, she’s barking. And if an animal comes anywhere near our house, she’s ready to go after it! Wow, that dog can hear a lot!
In Matthew 11:15, Jesus tells those around Him, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” There’s a difference between hearing and actually listening. Everyone there heard Jesus’ words with their ears but almost no one was willing to listen with their hearts. Jesus was challenging them to genuinely hear and respond to what He was saying.
Have you ever sat in a class or a church service and heard every word but didn’t actually listen to any of it? But then we call a best friend and listen to every word or turn on a favorite show and don’t miss a thing.
That cone helps Bella hear better. I don’t think there’s such a thing as a spiritual cone that would help us listen to God better (hopefully there’s not a spiritual cone OF SHAME!), but there are some easy things we can all do listen to God better:
Let’s set aside our BEST time each day to spend with God, reading the Bible and praying. Maybe it’s first thing in the morning, or maybe you need to come out of your sleep coma first. Either way, let’s come to that time with excitement!
Let’s also listen for what God is actually saying, not for what we want to hear. That’s one reason I enjoy reading through the whole Bible and doing my best to hear EVERYTHING God has to say.
We should never let church be negotiable (maybe I’ll go; maybe I’ll skip this time if I’m busy or tired or have something else to do): Church is where we need to be if we wanna hear from God!
God has a lot to say if we are willing to hear Him.
For more about listening to God, check this post out!
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