May 2, 2019
Revelation 3:14-22 Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Are you an active listener in your relationships? We all face difficulties in communicating well. Active listening requires the listener to fully concentrate on what is being shared, pause to comprehend, respond to do something with the information, and then remember what that person has said because it is important to him or her. This type of listening is essential if we are going to successfully fulfill commitments. Active listening is truly essential for personal growth; it requires an honest assessment of what this information means for one’s life and relationships.
God’s Word requires active listening. Scripture teaches, “What God has said isn’t only alive and active! It is sharper than any double-edged sword. His Word can cut through our spirits and souls and through our joints and marrow, until it discovers the desires and thoughts of our hearts. Nothing is hidden from God! He sees through everything, and we will have to tell him the truth.” (Heb 4:12-13). Throughout the Word of God we are commissioned to listen; actively listen. This is about your relationship in Christ—the Living Word. When you come to read and listen to the Word are you taking time to fully concentrate, comprehend, respond, and remember what has been shared?
In our lesson today, Jesus is addressing the Church at Laodicea; they think they can see but they are blind to the Truth. Will the people of God listen to the Voice of Truth? In this reading, the Truth is getting ready to pass judgment on the Church. Remember, the writings, from the Book of Revelation, are for the Church of all time. Jesus shares the Word with the Apostle John because the Lord knows every heart and many hearts are far from him. The Lord is grieved by the worldliness of his Church. Because Jesus loves us so much, he tells it like it is. To change hearts all the people of God need to do is repent and practice active listening.