Listen and Obey

These are the words of Jesus

Matt. 7:24-27   Hear my words and put them into practice.

Matt. 13:9, 43  He who has ears, let him hear.

Mark 4:3          Listen!

Mark 4:9, 23    He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Mark 4:24        Consider carefully what you hear.

Mark 7:14        Listen to me, everyone.

Luke 8:8          He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Luke 11:28      Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it.

Luke 14:35      He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

John 6:45        Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.

John 8:31        If you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples.

John 8:51        I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.

John 14:15      If you love me you will obey what I command.  

John 14:21      Whoever has my commands & obeys them, he is the one who loves me.

John 14:23      If anyone loves me he will obey my teaching.

John 15:14      You are my friends if you do what I command.

John 18:37      Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.

Rev. 2:7           He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Rev. 2:29         He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Rev. 2:11         He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Rev. 2:17         He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Rev. 2:29         He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Rev. 3:3           Remember... what you have received and heard. Obey it and repent.

LISTEN AND OBEY

Father, 

Help us listen to you and obey you. Jesus certainly tells us repeatedly in your Word to “listen and obey.” The long list of Bible references to Jesus saying either listen, obey or both surprised me. It’s good you are patient because most of us have a hard time listening to anyone except ourselves. I confess I do.

Help us take time to listen. Teach us to bring even minor issues to you that trouble us and pray about them from our hearts. And listen. Your reassuring presence often comes when we do this. Some years ago I prayed about a difficult struggle with another person. You gave me a visual image of us kneeling side by side and you had a hand on each of our heads blessing us. I realized that you had brought us together and we could work things out. This was a turning point in our struggle and I thank you for this. Listening makes a difference.

I’m listening to you by studying the red words in the Bible. I remind myself these are words Jesus spoke! This keeps me focused on your will and shows me my flaws, failures – SINS. I confess and repent and accept your forgiveness. This is not easy.

                                                                                                                                                         

Lord, obeying you is also difficult. We have as much difficulty obeying as we do listening. Obedience is not a word I’ve ever liked, though I enjoy singing “Trust and Obey!”  You have told me several specific things you wanted me to do. I struggled with each one and questioned it. When I finally obeyed, your directions led me on new paths which stretched me and blessed me beyond my dreams. I want to listen, trust and obey! Forgive our rebellious hearts. Help us learn there’s no other way but to trust and obey.

How Do You Read the Bible?

I’ve read the Bible in many different ways over the years as well as in many group Bible studies. One of the most helpful and challenging ways I have read the Bible involved a study of the commands of Jesus.  A speaker at a conference in July 2004 prompted this.  A remarkable, Spirit filled Christian, she said “I was on the remedial path (in the Christian life) until I studied the commands of Jesus.”

I decided to try it.

I immersed myself in “the red words” in the Bible.  I compiled all the commands of Jesus in the four gospels combining those that repeat. This alone stunned me.  For instance, how often He said “Listen?”  Do we listen?  We don’t listen very well or very much.  Knowing how important this is helps me listen much more. 

Listing his commands helped me know more clearly what’s important and keeps my focus more on Him and His word.  It’s awesome to think of the fact that these “red words” are the very words of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.  And He said them not just to his followers then but to all of us who now follow Him.

Here’s his first command and my journal comments about it.

REPENT!

Matt 4:17     Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.

Mark 1:15    The time has come, the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.

Luke 13:3     Unless you repent you too will all perish.

Luke 13:5     Unless you repent you too will perish.

REPENT!

Father,

I turned away from you after knowing you well in my youth. I wandered far from you and from your church. You accepted me back even before I repented but led me on a path of repentance following that. Working The Twelve Steps for Christians in 1992 was quite a revelation to me, especially the searching and fearless moral inventory. As you know I then repented big time - writing thirty letters to those I had harmed including one to you and one to your church. This was a scary step but very helpful and your acceptance and forgiveness and that of the church opened my heart to you more and lifted a load from my heart.

This spring I journaled Psalm 51 in which David is repenting all his sins and this brought me to repentance on some issues that I had not been conscious of before. Your love was there forgiving me. 

The “little sins” are the ones I “forget” to repent about now. Help me be aware of times when I’m irritable, critical, picky, self-focused or unloving in any way and help me turn around and go the way of your love.  Change my heart, O Lord.