Day 18: He who has Ears

“He who has ears to hear let him hear.”

This phrase jumped out at me today as I read the passages in Luke. I thought about all the times I could not hear--the times I was surrounded by noise and distractions. I thought of the times I am surrounded by voices inside and outside my mind all-jockeying for attention. I thought about the voices in the media and the communities where I live and how they call out to me with images and empty promises of wealth and prosperity and the multitude of things I can have if only I do this or that. In fact, even as I write these words the radio is blaring and a dog is barking outside. I can hear my neighbors talking, and the sounds of traffic from the highway across the way drift to my ears.

What does this phrase mean in today's world? "He who has ears to hear let him hear."

Perhaps another way of saying this: How do we discern between the voices we hear? How do we know which voice to follow, and how do we make the right choice when sometimes all the voices seem to be calling at once?

I think this parable in itself holds the key; it is the parable of the seeds by the way.

The truth is not in the many voices that we hear but in the soil that receives it. True, there is bad seed out there, but the good seed is the one that produces the harvest. (Ever planted bad seeds and received anything in return?) Knowing the difference between the many voices depends upon our ability to have good soil in our lives. The way we get good soil is to have our lives filled with the power and presence of God through the Holy Spirit.

If my life is soil, it means that seeds can be planted and grow. What type of soil, as defined through this parable, am I?

The ability to have good soil is possible. It happens as I give my life into the hands of God through surrender to Jesus Christ as my Lord. Then filled with the power of His Spirit, I can live life full--filled with the voice of Christ.