Verse of the Day 10/8

Verse of the Day 10/8

Luke 8:18 Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away."    English Standard Version (ESV)

Most of us will be or already have gone to church this weekend to worship, to sing praise to God and to hear from His Word through our pastor's sermon.  Last week we celebrated communion which is to be a time for reflection and remembering what God has done for us in sending His Son as to take away our sin and draw us closer to Him.  Today's verse is a reminder that each time we go to worship, we go "to hear" what the Lord  has to say to us through His Word.

When the verse states "for to the one who has, more will be given" can often be taken out of context or misconstrued to mean material things.  But the one who hears, hears in the Spirit and the Spirit will give more grace more power to do the will of God.

Have you ever heard a message and later that day couldn't remember what the pastor had said, the passage or passages read and what the application was for us?  It is possible for it to come "in one ear and right out the other".   The way to avoid that is to draw near to God in preparation to hear from His Word.

J. C. Ryle points out that we should listen - with faith, with reverence and above all with prayer.  He writes," we must listen with PRAYER--praying for God's blessing before the sermon is preached, and praying for God's blessing again when the sermon is over. Here lies the grand defect of the hearing of many. They ask no blessing--and so they receive none. The sermon passes through their minds like water through a leaky vessel, and leaves nothing behind......Let us bear these rules in mind every Sunday morning, before we go to hear the Word of God preached. Let as not rush into God's presence careless, reckless, and unprepared--as if it did not matter how we listened. Let us carry with us faith, reverence, and prayer. If these three are our companions--then we shall listen with profit, and return with praise!"

In the short book of Jude we read:

Jude 20 But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit,   Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

As we prepare to listen, perhaps we can sing the old familiar chorus and in doing so we will "take care then how we hear".

Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on me.
Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.
Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on me.

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Luke 8:18The Message (MSG)

Misers of What You Hear

^16-18 "No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a washtub or shoves it under the bed. No, you set it up on a lamp stand so those who enter the room can see their way. We're not keeping secrets; we're telling them. We're not hiding things; we're bringing everything out into the open. So be careful that you don't become misers of what you hear. Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes."