Today in my personal time with God, I read Matthew 13. When I read the Bible, I watch for a word, phrase or sentence to stand out to me, then I stop reading and spend time talking and listening to God about it. This morning, I focused in on these words of Jesus, "For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn and I would heal them."
In those words, Jesus is referring to the people of God. As a Follower of Christ, I am asked to hear his words to his people for myself. He forces me to consider whether or not I am open to him. Have my ears become shut and my eyes closed to his Spirit? As I prayed about this, he brought to my mind an issue in which I did not want to hear from him. I wanted to deal with it myself. I wanted to think what I thought and not hear what he thinks. It was not enjoyable to have to admit that I was closing myself off to his spirit in that issue of my life. I was strongly resisting him.
Then I read the last line again, "Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn and I would heal them." What was I resisting by not letting God speak to that issue? I was resisting his healing. All Jesus wants to do is bring me healing and I am closing my ears and eyes to that? Why would i ever resist letting God give me something good?
"God, forgive me I prayed. I want to be open. Speak to me." He did. It was uncomfortable...it was difficult...but when it was done, I experienced his peace and freedom. That which had a hold of me was released, so that Jesus could carry me.
Regularly, we must honestly evaluate our present openness to Jesus. Christianity is not a religion we can shelf between Sundays, it is a relationship in which Jesus must be free to invade any part of our lives at any time.
Is there any part of your life in which Jesus is not welcome? Is there any part of your lifestyle Jesus is not given permission to speak to? Is there any relationship that you have closed your eyes to seeing what God wants you to see? Is there any good God is asking you to do that you have don not want to recognize? Are you open to the Holy Spirit's ongoing healing, freeing, maturing work in your life?
