From the Shepherd’s Heart: Did you hear Jesus?

Published 12:30 pm Friday, October 27, 2017

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

“Did you hear me?” This question comes on the heels of a lack of response the speaker was expecting. A child that will not move when commanded hears this question. An employee that fails to perform might hear this question. A spouse will probably hear it often!

“Did you hear me?” implies that some response is requested. The response could be a nod, yes or no. It could be some assistance on a project. The speaker may desire to know an opinion. At every point, to ignore is to invite the inquisition.

“Did you hear me?” communicates many messages. The speaker may feel disconnected. They desire our attention. The speaker may feel ignored. They want us to consider them significant. The speaker may feel frustrated. They meant business with the last message they sent that rendered no response. The important lesson is that a lack of response communicates as much as making a full response. The problem is that it rarely improves relationships.

To hear is to understand. One can listen to a foreign language but hear nothing but voices. With the foreign language, understanding is difficult. Repetition and explanation may improve what is heard, but many times communication doesn’t occur.

When we understand, we usually respond. That response may be verbal, but usually is action. Our comprehension of what is communicated is revealed in an adjustment of our demeanor, or conduct, or conversation. There is visual or vocal evidence that we understand.

Jesus is interested in knowing we have heard Him. The Lord came to communicate love to us and show us the way we should live by faith and love each other. Though His concepts of proper living were unique, His followers were to reveal their dedication to Him by their daily activities and the way they responded to life with obedience to what He has told them.

The Lord was looking for more than just relationship. Even Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brothers, as close as they were, could not satisfy what Jesus demanded by just claiming “kin.” Even today, too many think church membership fulfills all the expectations the Lord might have of us.

What the Lord is expecting is that we prove we have heard by the way we do what He commanded. The one who can expect to be blessed is the one who deliberately chooses to show they understood the Lord by their actions.

We may not can tell who is related to others by their looks. But, we can tell who is related to Jesus. They are the ones that think, talk, walk, love, and live just like Jesus did. Their lifestyle reveals that they heard Jesus and considered what He commanded so important, they dropped everything else and followed Him. In following, they did not continue as spectators, they become partners.

Check your lifestyle today and see if the Lord is satisfied with your response.

Dr. John A. Temple is pastor of Poplar Springs Drive Baptist Church, 4032 Poplar Springs Drive, Meridian. Visit the church website at www.psdbc.org.