Listen Up

Do you have “ears to hear” God’s Word (Mark 4:9, 23)?  Are you listening?  Here are some ways to improve our spiritual perception:

1. Schedule daily Bible reading.  Otherwise it won’t happen.  And don’t forget to read together (maybe at the dinner table).
2. Take up God’s Word with a humble heart and teach­able spirit:  “Lord, show me the log in my own eye.”
3. Receive God’s truth in community.  We need each other’s support to be good soil for the seed of the Word (Mark 4:8, 20).  No Christian is an island.  The Bible is for the church.
4. Seek out accountability.  We do much better learning and follow­ing God’s Word if we take a class, join a group, etc.
5. Go to bed on time on Saturday night so you can come to Sunday worship fully alert, ready to hear from God!
6. Have your own Bible and bring it with you to worship, Sunday School, Bible study, etc. (and parents, your kids need their own Bibles).  Personalize it with underlining, cross-references, short notes—all of this will help you visualize pages and passages, thus assisting you in finding texts you’ve studied before.
7. And therefore, don’t settle for online Bible access.  To be sure, digital tools can help us search the Scriptures.  But there are enormous benefits that come from using a printed Bible.
8. Hide God’s Word in your heart:  memorize!  The sword of the Spirit is God’s Word, but you can’t wield it if you don’t wear it.
9. Read the Bible systematically.  Don’t just pick it up and flip to a random page.  And don’t just keep bopping back to a handful of favorite verses.  Read it all, and see how God’s whole story comes together.  (E.g., try our 2-year Bible reading plan.)
10. Submit, don’t dabble.  Don’t just use the Bible to find ideas you like, or as a launching pad for your own agenda.  Read and dare to embrace and apply God’s truth faithfully!
11. For accuracy and readability, I recommend the ESV translation.