Hearing But Not Listening
We have discovered in Mark 4:1-20, that understanding the Lord’s teaching is a gift from the Lord as indicated in v.11, so if someone concludes that they are one of the bad soils or have some of those tendencies, is there anything they can do about it? Since God is sovereign over the process, is there no way to be more receptive to the Word? Sure there is.
The Bible portrays a beautiful blend of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. Other than predestination, which was accomplished before the world began and regeneration or calling, which is the result of the Spirit moving where he wills, man plays an active role in all the various expressions of salvation. Multiple times in the OT, the people are Israel are called to circumcise their hearts, but we know that only God can change a heart. These two are not at odds when one realizes that God uses the means of grace to sanctify us as we strive in the strength of the Lord. So here’s a very abbreviated list regarding how to develop a receptive heart to the Word:
-Confess your lack of receptivity to the Lord and plead with him to have mercy on your callousness;
-Commit to keep a clean conscience before the Lord regarding all sin; meaning, don’t allow sin to fester without confessing it, seeking reconciliation with God and others, and turning from it;
-Cultivate a growing fear of God and distrust of yourself by studying His word about Himself and about you.
If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear and do those things!