Hear and Understand

Strive to hear what Jesus is telling you. And make sure you understand it as well.

Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Mark 7:14, ” When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, ‘Hear Me, everyone, and understand.’ “

Background

I am quite certain you have heard of the phrase, ” heard it through the grapevine, ” and your initial encounter of it may have in fact been while discussing or sharing some juicy piece of gossip through the proverbial vine. But from where did the phrase come? Was it a common practice among our ancestors to share news and discuss current events while picking grapes out in the vineyards? Or was legitimate and profitable discourse held round the kitchen table or in the halls of education, while suggestive tidbits and rumors were reserved for clandestine meetings under the cover of the vines? To what grapevine is the phrase actually referring? Apparently, during the time of the rise of the telegraph, as poles and lines were being put in place across the country, the quality of some of the work was such that the finished version of the wires resembled the crisscrossed mesh of a grapevine. So, to receive a telegram or telegraph from someone came to be referred to as hearing it through the grapevine. Unfortunately, during the American Civil War, military commanders would send false telegrams to their enemy counterparts so that the reliability of the messages became difficult to determine. Thus, the modern day reference of the phrase now connotes information of a gossipy and perhaps unverifiable sort.

Application

Today, we have no shortage of things to listen to. There is now no setting in which we cannot have something piping into our ears, whether we are awake or asleep, wet or dry, moving or still. Much of it we pay little attention to, and even less of it is helpful. But Jesus has things He wants you to hear, and He wants you to understand them. Because when you understand them, you are understanding the God who made and loves you. And you are then enabled to live out the truths He has shared. You won’t worry about doing this or not doing that. You’ll know the heart of the Father and long to live for Him in whatever you do.

Charge

As we seek Him today, strive to hear what Jesus is telling you. And make sure you understand it as well.

Author — Rich Holt | BCWorldview.org

Salvation — Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words