“Are you listening to this? Really listening?” ~~Jesus

Jesus knows how to ask the right question. He also knows the answer.

So …. am I listening to Jesus?

May I be able to say, with all my heart, that I am listening to Jesus. May it be so.

“Are you listening to this? Really listening?” ~~Jesus (Luke 8:8)

“It’s urgent that you listen carefully to this.”~~Jesus (3 Radical things to do)

We all want to live. Before Jesus, we were in the world of the dead. We knew it then and we fully understand that now.

Jesus shows us how to live in the world of the living. He puts it to us simply. These are all radical and demand our full devotion.

1. Believe what Jesus says.
2. Align ourselves with the Father.
3. Put Jesus in charge.

“It’s urgent that you listen carefully to this: Anyone here who believes what I am saying right now and aligns himself with the Father, who has in fact put me in charge, has at this very moment the real, lasting life and is no longer condemned to be an outsider. This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living.”” ~~Jesus (John 5:24 The Message)

“The one who listens to you, listens to me.” ~~Jesus

Jesus is very clear. If someone listens to me, they are listening to Jesus. He grants us His authority. His words are our words. His love is our love. When we align with Him, He is aligned with His Father and miracles happen.

The other side of this is, we have to speak His words. Will we? Will we today? Will we right now?

May it be so.

“The one who listens to you, listens to me.” ~~Jesus Luke 10:16 (The Message)

“I can’t do a solitary thing on my own: I listen, then I decide to act.” ~~Jesus

Jesus only does what he hears the Father say to do. That is His standard for us as well. We are living in His new government if we do what God asks us to do. Jesus knows the source of his power and life. The life of a disciple of Jesus is one all about listening to God and deciding to act on what He wants us to do. That is the source of power in His world.

Notice the sequence.

• Listen
• Decide
• Act

“I can’t do a solitary thing on my own: I listen, then I decide to act.” ~~Jesus (John 5:30-33 The Message)

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• “What the Father does, the Son does.” ~~Jesus (mww1954.wordpress.com)

“One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.” ~~Jesus

Martha was busy serving everyone. Mary was relaxed, listening to Jesus. Jesus is clear. Listening to Jesus comes first. First things first. Jesus demands we choose things in the proper order. Listen first, serve second. It is the main thing about the main thing. I need to get this right. Priorities make a difference. This is important.

May I listen to Jesus first and then act / serve.

“Don’t listen to them; just trust me.” ~~Jesus

One day Jesus took a boat ride. A large crowd met him at the seaside when He arrived. One of the religious leaders named Jairus came to where He was because his daughter was sick. When he saw Jesus, he fell to his knees, beside himself as he begged, “My dear daughter is at death’s door. Come and lay hands on her so she will get well and live.”

Jesus decided to go with him, the whole crowd tagging along, pushing and jostling him. While he was still talking, some people came from the leader’s house and told him, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher any more?” Imagine how devastated he is now.

Jesus overheard what they were talking about. Jesus knows what to say to get us focused. His message of good news is clear. It is a question of who we will listen to. It is a question of who we will trust.

“Never dare to judge until you have heard the other side.” ~Euripides, 5th century B.C.

Am I listening?

God is talking. Am I listening?

That, quite simply, is the main thing. It is easy to turn a deaf ear. It is easy to pretend that He didn’t say it. It is not about the easy path but it is about the path of sacrifice. We must take up His cross. There is no other way. The price must be paid.

And, having heard, will I believe what God wants to do and will do?

That, quite simply, is the main thing about the main thing. Nothing is impossible with Him. He will be faithful to His word. I must believe. I must lean in to Him.

For who were the people who turned a deaf ear? Weren’t they the very ones Moses led out of Egypt? And who was God provoked with for forty years? Wasn’t it those who turned a deaf ear and ended up corpses in the wilderness? And when he swore that they’d never get where they were going, wasn’t he talking to the ones who turned a deaf ear? They never got there because they never listened, never believed. Hebrews 3:15-19

 May I listen and not turn a deaf ear. I can hear. May I believe.

Jerusalem

Jesus destiny was in Jerusalem. God’s goal for Him would come to pass there. He would die and be raised from the dead by the amazing power of the Holy Spirit. But notice how this was framed. He took the 12 aside and clearly said “We”. Jerusalem just wasn’t for Jesus. The good news of the new agreement God has with us is that we have died and been raised to a new life in Him. Oh my goodness.

Then Jesus took the Twelve off to the side and said, “Listen carefully. We’re on our way up to Jerusalem.” Luke 18:31

May I see how I am a new human being in Him. May I know that the old me was crucified with Him and the new me was raised up in Him.