"Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word." (John 8:43)
Marlon Brandon once said, "An actor's a guy who if you ain't talkin' about him, ain't listening."
There is much more in our text than I can speak of now, but it seems to me that the reason we, "are not able to listen to My (His) word," is that we just, "are not able to listen...." Humanity is basically so full of itself that the only thing it can do if it cannot either express itself is not listen.
Not only are so many not able to "listen" to Jesus, they cannot listen to one another. One of the most difficult things to overcome in a small group setting is, "not able to listen." The expression-people tend to dominate, and at the same time they, "are not able to listen." Bonhoeffer once said, "Christians who can no longer listen to one another will soon no longer be listening to God either; they will always be talking even in the presence of God." I think today I want to work on better listening to our Lord Jesus------ and His Followers.
Father, in Jesus' Name, I confess, I am a talker. Keep me in Your grace to also be a listener. Amen.
