What Was That Again? by Russ Lawson
How many times have you said one thing, but someone understood you to say something else entirely? It happens doesn't it; far too often we are misunderstood. Sometimes it is because we do not communicate clearly, other times it is that the listener is not paying close enough attention.
For example: Many hymnals have a hymn called "Gladly the Cross I'd Bear."
It seems that one week when the church secretary was typing the Sunday bulletin; she asked the preacher which hymn would come just before the sermon. He replied with the hymn mentioned above, "Gladly the Cross I'd Bear."
The following Sunday the bulletin read: Hymn No. 134: "Gladly, the Cross-eyed Bear."
That's a funny story to illustrate an important point! Anyone paying attention should not have a problem understanding that there most likely were not any hymns about "Cross-eyed bears". How often however, has God spoken to us through His Word and we just didn't pay close enough attention. Yes, we have good intentions; however we are so busy, just like the rest of the world around us is. There is so much background noise in our lives that we thought we heard or read one thing; however in reality God had another message in mind for us.
It's kind of like the old fellow who was dozing in the back of the church building and the preacher said, "If you would rather serve Satan than God, then stand up and let your choice be known." Well all the old fellow caught was the "stand up," so he did. He looked around and noticed no one else was standing and said loudly, "Well preacher I don't know exactly what we're standing for, but it looks like you and I are the only ones for it."
God says through the apostle John: "This is love for God: to obey his commands" (1 John 5:3), but people seem to hear, "If you love me, you can do what ever you want, because I love you anyway." That's why I use Matthew 7:21 so often, because people just don't seem to understand that God requires a certain kind of life and morals to be acceptable to him. They think in all honesty that what they are dong is OK with God, but God says, there is a surprise coming for many people. But God says, they are going to be greatly surprised when he says I don't know you!
Far too many folks want to go to heaven without living according to God's directives and it just is not going to happen. Maybe that's why we read in the New Testament about 20 times a phrase something like what we find in Mark 7:16. Jesus says: "If any man have ears to hear, let him hear," (KJV). How about you, how well are you listening? Could it be you're still looking for the hymn about Gladly the Cross I'd Bear?
as seen in Russ Lawson's email devotional, "Messages From The Heart"
From firstIMPRESSIONS Vol. 11.22
