it is for hearing and telling
Open Your Bible
Psalm 119:129-152, Luke 8:4-21, Luke 11:27-28, Romans 10:17
BY Hayley Morgan
Text: Psalm 119:129-152, Luke 8:4-21, Luke 11:27-28, Romans 10:17
Time in the Word doesn’t always feel natural or especially urgent, does it? Sometimes I walk away feeling unchanged. But, the thing we know from Isaiah 55:11 is that Scripture doesn’t return void. God is always producing fruit when we’re in the Word. We know we are to hear it and take it in.
Now, the times I’ve seen most spiritual growth in my own life are when I’m convinced that God’s truth is the only thing I have to cling to. It is like Psalm 119:130-131 says:
The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments.
All I long for is intimacy with God and time in the Word. I find such relief in the encouragement and testimonies from the Bible, and it is like a balm to my heart. It’s no surprise that God uses those times when I’m panting after Him to produce growth. Like David, I know what it is like to have my only hope be the truth of God:
I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words. My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise. (Psalm 119:147-148)
When I have stumbled across something game-changing in this life or have a bright hope, there is little I can do to keep myself from sharing this great news. It’s like that with Scripture, too. Not only are we supposed to hear it for ourselves, we are to tell others about it. We internalize truth and learn it well when we are compelled to live those truths out and to teach them to other people. Like the parable of the Lamp in Luke 8:16, we should let that light shine so that it illuminates the way for others. We can’t only be Hearers of the Word, but also Doers (James 1:22) and Tellers.
Lord, let us pant after You. Let us be brightened by the hope of Scripture and let that hope leak out of our mouths in the way we tell other people about You.
84 thoughts on "it is for hearing and telling"
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I simply found your web site some days ago and i are reading through it frequently. you have got a wide range of helpful data on the site and that i conjointly really like the particular type of the site at constant time. carry on the nice work!
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Lord, thank you for the truth of your word!
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Beautiful timing the Lord has. I want to pant after him. “pant
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I honestly needed this today. I have been struggling with trying to reconnect with God and have felt like I am not hearing anything, especially since I am faced with a decision, but I think this devotion just helped me understand what it is I need to do.
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I work as a nurse in an oncology/hospice unit. I see a lot of death – all ages, all religions, all lifestyles… Each one of our lives eventually comes to a close. I see nurses who are burdened by the sense of hopelessness that unfair deaths can bring upon us. Nurses who ask “why?” and don’t hear an answer. I see nurses who think that amidst their personal hardships, life cannot get any better, and their life will never be once they once dreamt of. These souls need Christ, yet their hearts are hardened. Lord, grant me the words to say and the courage to speak! So often I am met with eye rolls or awkward silence. Sometimes even hostility toward God. How do I continue to speak life to these people without pushing them away? How can I be a vessel for Him? I want to be His hands and feet.
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Thank you so much for your honesty and vulnerability, Jen. I hear your heart for others and for God’s kingdom through your words and the struggle they relate, and I praise God that you are fast becoming the strong, compassionate, faithful woman that He desires you to be. Keep pressing, keep wrestling for His guidance, and know that your care and efforts for your coworkers will not be in vain. Your entry brought to my mind the scene in Acts where the early believers gathered together to pray for boldness after seeing God do amazing things (and also facing some true opposition in this world). Satan is the chief of discouragement, and he often chooses to operate through the systems and constructs of this world (as opposed to God’s kingdom). Don’t give him a bit of gratification! Keep pressing into God’s words- especially when He describes the kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 5-7) and pray for boldness to share the riches you find in Christ and His Truth with efficacy. Every moment of time, every ounce of effort you give to sharing this gospel will be used in HUGE, eternal ways by our loving Father. He is fighting for your coworkers- He will not stop. Thank you for being faithful to the promptings God has given you to share with them. I’m so blessed by your testimony here, and I am praying for you. Much love, my beautiful sister.
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Well said, Dara!
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