Scripture
Our verse for today comes from Acts 7:57, “But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him.”
Background
Some have noted that God gave us two ears but only one mouth so we could listen twice as much as we talk. I’m not exactly sure about the divine ratio, but I am fairly certain that there are biological reasons for our design. But that’s not to say that we shouldn’t listen more than we speak. In fact, we should probably listen much more than twice as much as we talk. If you’re talking at least half as much as you’re listening, then you’re probably still using your ears to a great extent to prepare your mouth for its next comments, and that means you’re not hearing all of what you should be. And as much as we think we hear when we claim to be listening but still miss far too much, we are virtually deaf during the times when we refuse to hear and instead are bent on mashing on with our message or our compulsion.
Most of us would probably say that scripture doesn’t deal much with how to be a good listener. Apart from Jesus admonishing “he who has ears to hear, let him hear,” we don’t read much about the value of two ears over one mouth. Or do we? You will recall that Proverbs is a book of instruction from wise mentors to any of us who will listen and heed. Joseph is a hero because he listened. Moses had a lot to hear. Lot’s wife was told a simple instruction, but she refused to listen and perished like no other. Jericho’s wall fell because an entire army heeded an unusual strategy. And on top of all this and the numerous other examples available to us, we are instructed that in Christ we are to be full of compassion and patient, gentle, and meek, none of which is possible if we don’t stop talking and listen.
Application
The entirety of our Christian walks is predicated on our devotion to God’s Word and our willingness to hear what it says. There are many ways to stop your ears and rush off to something else. And unless you’re willing to honestly assess your listening, having ten ears wouldn’t do you any more good than the two you have. Technology has provided a myriad of avenues for us to share what we want to say, but who of us is willing to keep quiet and actually listen to what needs to be heard?
Charge
As we seek Him today, have ears to hear. And let what you hear be food for your soul.
Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words
Distributed by – BCWorldview.org
Editor Comment: In an age of endless platforms for saying what we want, this devotional recovers the harder discipline of stopping our ears to ourselves so we can hear God.