Acts 22:14 “Then he told me, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and hear Him speak.’ ”
I’ve been thinking about the apostle John a lot lately. In John 20:2, he called himself ‘the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved.’
How did he know that Jesus loved him? We can say, “I know He loves me,” but John knew in his heart that Jesus truly loved him. He had a receptive heart.
When we take the time to really get to know Him, to know we’re hearing Him, receive His love and totally trust Him, our hearts will be at rest. A rested heart is receptive.
In contrast, when we let the cares of this world overwhelm us, it’s hard to hear Him.
Acts 28:27 ‘For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to Me and let Me heal them.’
In my last post “If God is for Me”, I stated that ‘you can be against you.’ You get to choose if you’re receptive. You get to choose if your soil (heart) has weeds (cares of this world).
Luke 8:15 But the good soil represents honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s message, cling to it, and steadily produce a huge harvest.
Matthew 13:12 To those who are open to My teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them.
John 12:49-50 “I don’t speak on My own authority. The Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it. And I know His commands lead to eternal life, so I say whatever the Father tells Me to say.”
In John 17:3, Jesus said that eternal life is knowing the Father, and Jesus Christ, the one He sent. Heart knowledge, not head knowledge.
How can you know Him if you don’t spend time with Him? How can I know Him when I’m so concerned with the things going on around me that I can’t hear His still, small voice?
Ecclesiastes 3:11 God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.
Let’s get to know Him and trust Him completely so our hearts can be at rest and receive all He is and all He wants to share with us.
Proverbs 23:19 My child, listen and be wise. Keep your heart on the right course.
Proverbs 23:26 O my son, give Me your heart. May your eyes delight in My ways of wisdom.
Proverbs 8:32-35 So listen, My sons and daughters, to everything I tell you, for nothing will bring you more joy than following My ways. Listen to My counsel, for My instruction will enlighten you. You’ll be wise not to ignore it. If you wait at wisdom’s doorway, longing to hear a word for every day, joy will break forth within you as you listen for what I’ll say. For the fountain of Life pours into you every time that you find Me, and this is the secret of growing in the delight and favor of the LORD. (The Passion Translation)
El-Olam, Eternal God, teach us to know You. Speak to us even in the night as we sleep. Show us You and Your will, Abba. Everything that was created was by Your mighty hand. Nothing is too hard for you! Help us to hear You better and to forget the cares of this world. Help us to be able to say, “Me, the one whom Jesus loves.” Praise you forever! Amen and so be it.
