From Handbook to God’s Promises
GOD’S WORDS HAVE PURPOSE
Mark 4:23: Listen Up!
Ever since the Garden of Eden humanity has suffered from a spiritual hearing problem. God warns Adam and Eve to avoid the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but His words enter one ear and exit the other (Genesis 2:15–17). Ezekiel describes a rebellious people who have “ears to hear but do not hear” (Ezekiel 12:2). And James admonishes readers, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves” (James 1:22). Because of our sinful natures, we have difficulty not only hearing God, but also acting upon what He says.
However, when we hear the Lord’s words and obey them, our souls thrive (Isaiah 55:3). So when we hear Jesus say, “If anyone has ears to hear,” the time has come to perk up and listen.