Latest / The Daily Word / October 29- Consider Carefully What You Hear
Transcript
- Robert Rosales: Hey friends, good morning and welcome to the Daily Word Podcast. It could be good afternoon or good evening, whatever time of the day you're joining us. I am so grateful that you decided to jump in. My name is Robert Rosales, and along with my wife Yolanda, I have the privilege of serving as the campus pastor at our Lakeshore Gastonia location. Thanks again for investing some time with us to jump into God's Word today. Whether you're listening on your morning commute. Enjoying a cup of coffee or beginning your day with the Lord. My heart is that this time encourages you and draws you closer to Jesus. Just as a reminder, each day as a church, we're reading through the Bible together using the life journal reading plan. If you don't have a life journal, come on, go to your next step desk or the lobby at whichever campus you attend and ask for one. I'm sure we can get you one on The spot. Also, as we're reading, we're using the SOAP method. That stands for scripture, observation, application, and prayer. It's just a simple framework to capture God's word on paper and then allow it to soak deeper into your heart. So as you're reading, just focus for that one scripture that really stands out to you. I'm going to jot down an observation, how it applies to your life. And then we like to finish by writing a simple prayer to the Lord. Well, listen, before I share my entry with you, come on, agree with me, let's pray. Father, thank you for your word today. Thank you for the illumination and the teaching of the Holy Spirit. Open the eyes of our heart. Help us to draw deep from the word. Help us to receive it with hearts of expectancy and faith. And most importantly, God, help us to be doers of the word, not hearers only. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, today's passage for October 29th comes to us out of Mark chapters 3 and 4. I read both of them, but I zeroed in on Mark 4:24. They're the words of Jesus. Let me read it to you, and then we'll just kind of kind of use this as a springboard for today's journal entry. Jesus says, Consider carefully what you hear. He continued, with the measure you use. It will be measured to you and even more. Let me read it again. Jesus said, Consider carefully what you hear. With a measure you use, it will be measured to you and even more. The title of my journal entry: Consider Carefully What You Hear. Come on, say it with me. Consider carefully what you hear. Here's my observation. And I'm going to tie the application into it. This verse stands out to me as both eye-opening and essential to our continued growth as followers of Christ. Jesus had just finished telling the parable of the sower. The seed represents the word of God, and the four soils represent different heart responses. The sower is first Jesus, but the principle. Extends to anyone who shares God's word or I might add reads or listens to God's word. Now, if you haven't read the parable recently, I want to encourage you to go back and read Mark 4:1 through 20 because it provides the backdrop for Jesus' words here in Mark 4:24. Again, he says, consider carefully what you hear with the same measure you use. It will be measured to you and even more. Notice that Jesus doesn't just tell us to hear the word, he tells us to consider what we hear carefully. Why? Because hearing the truth and truly receiving the truth are two different things. Think about it. Two people can sit in the same church service, hear the same exact sermon. And walk away with very different results. One hears the message but quickly forgets it and moves on. The other takes it to heart, thinks about it, asks how it applies to their life, and puts it into practice. They heard the same message, but they didn't respond the same way. When Jesus speaks about the measure we use, He emphasizes how we receive and respond to his teaching or to the word or to the sermon we're listening to. The more seriously we take his word, the more opportunity we give ourselves to grow in our understanding of his word. Then Jesus adds, and even more. In other words, those who genuinely receive his teaching or his word or a message that we're listening to. Are positioned to grow in understanding and receive even more truth from God. But when we neglect the truth we've been given, we risk losing even the understanding we already have. It's a little like exercising a muscle. The more we use it, the stronger it becomes. When we neglect it, it weakens. The same principle applies to our spiritual growth. We don't grow simply by accumulating more information, by accumulating more sermons, by just reading our Bible. We grow as we receive God's truth, reflect on it, meditate on it, let it go deep, and respond to it. So, Pastor Robert, what's the application? How does this apply to my life? Well, I want to leave you with three questions. First, ask yourself, what am I listening to? That's an important question because the voices and messages that we allow into our lives influence how we think and what we believe. We need to be discerning, measuring what we hear against the truth of God's word. Second question How am I receiving what I hear? Am I simply listening to sermons? Am I simply reading quickly through scripture and moving on with my day? Or am I allowing God's word to go deep, to challenge me, to correct me, to renew my mind, to encourage me, and shape how I live? Third question: What am I doing with what I hear? In other words, am I putting God's word, God's truth The messages I'm hearing into practice? Do I return to it throughout the day and let it shape my thinking, my words, and my actions? Friends, if we want God's truth to soak into our lives, we must be careful about how we hear it. Let's stay teachable, open, and receptive. Let's not people who act like we already know it all, because that robs us. Of letting God's truth sink deep and do the work in us that God wants it to do. Pray with me. Father God, thank you for speaking to us today through your word. Holy Spirit, help us to live this out daily. Help us to carefully consider what we hear and how we hear. As we continue to grow in these areas, I am confident. That my life will become more fruitful and honor you in all things. In Jesus' name, everybody said, Amen. Lakeshore family, as you go about your day, my prayer is that you'll keep growing in your love for Jesus and his word. And as you invest time with him, may he give you fresh insight, strengthen your faith, and guide your steps. Thanks for joining me today on the Daily Word podcast. I pray that you've been encouraged to stay in God's Word. And walk closely with the Holy Spirit. God bless you. We'll catch you again tomorrow.