Deaf to the Truth

For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Matthew 13:15

Since my childhood, I've been gradually losing my hearing in both ears. I'm now totally deaf in my right ear and use a hearing aid in my left ear. With the hearing aid I can hear fairly well, but without it hearing is difficult at best. A while ago, my hearing aid decided it didn't want to work anymore.

For three weeks, I waited to get a new one. Those three weeks gave me a new better appreciation for the ability to hear. I missed so much during that time of deafness. I wasn't able to hear my pastor's sermons or the worship songs at church. I missed out on conversations with friends and family.

I know that someday I may lose my hearing completely. I don't look forward to that, but God will give me the grace to get through it.

What I don't understand is that some people choose to be deaf. Jesus talked about people who have hardened their hearts and closed their ears and eyes to the truth. They choose to be deaf and blind. God wants to speak words of truth to them, but they can't hear Him because they have closed their ears.

I've seen a child do something similar when his parents discipline him. They give him a lecture and he cups his hands over his ears and starts repeating, "I can't hear you!" Like a child, people often don't want to hear what God has to say about the sin in their lives so they close their ears.

Jesus said that His sheep will hear His voice (John 10:27). Those people who willingly choose to follow God have their ears open, ready to hear a word from the Shepherd. Sometimes the Shepherd will give a word of discipline, but more often He gives words of love that bring us comfort.

Open your ears. Listen. God has something He wants to tell you.

(If this devotional has blessed you, please pass it on.)

From a fellow traveler just passing through,

Jason Mitchener
http://www.JasonMitchener.com

Jason's Blog: http://mitchener.blogs.com
Jason's Music: http://www.soundclick.com/jasonmitchener
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Are your friends going to hell?
"If you are not eternal friends, are you really friends at all?"~Mark Cahill
150,000 people die every 24 hours. The sad thing is, most of them are not going to Heaven, because they don't know the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
"I am perplexed by Christians who treat the Gospel as though it is the best of a host of options for people to consider....when in fact there is no other option." ~David Brickner
http://www.reachingcatholics.org
http://www.jewsforjesus.org
http://www.wayofthemaster.com
http://www.markcahill.org
http://www.livingwaters.com/witnessingtool/browse.shtml