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Blessed are you when you can hear, see, and understand the Word of the Lord.
Jesus spoke in Parables a lot when He was teaching in large crowds, he often did this because it opened up a world view of what the people needed to know, but for the most part it was to teach those who had been given the eyes to see and ears to hear that we have read about in His Word.
Not everyone can understand these things as Jesus said.
Because their hearts were hardened and their eyes were blinded that they would not hear and see what the Spirit had for them. This was because of reasons out of our control, but they chose not to know God.
And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”
He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. Matthew 13: 10-11
No worries though! For God has given you eyes to see and ears to hear if you are reading this blog!
But blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear; for assuredly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see and did not see it, and to hear what you hear and did not hear it. Matthew 13:16
Have you ever just thought for a moment why you read the Bible and really ‘get it’? Then your friend sitting next to you may have no clue? God has opened your eyes for such a time as this. Maybe your friend will come to know the Lord later but right now it is th
Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance, all who seek the Lord! Consider the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were mined. Yes, think about Abraham, your ancestor, and Sarah, who gave birth to your nation. Abraham was only one man when I called him. But when I blessed him, he became a great nation.” The Lord will comfort Israel again and have pity on her ruins. Her desert will blossom like Eden, her barren wilderness like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found there. Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air. Isaiah 51:1-3
The people who Jesus was talking about in Matthew were people who were not seeking Him, but trying to discredit Him as the Son of God, the Messiah. For whatever reason that to me seems like they wanted to keep the control of who knew what, and who could be blessed, to themselves; but God knew their hearts.
In the same way He knew my heart when I was seeking to find Him, and to know who He really was I had the dream with Him in my back yard, in my safe place. He showed me that I knew who He was and gave me reason to follow that lead and read the Gideons New Testament I had from my childhood. I am not really sure why I had it but it was my mother’s from when she was little and earned it in Sunday School. I did not know this until it had been years later but I found out and cherished it and how God brought it to me without me even knowing why.
Back on topic, God opened my eyes to see what His Spirit wanted me to in His Word. That lead me to see more as I studied to find out Who He was and how I could get to heaven. Eventually it lead me to accept that I believed in Him, and accepted that He should be my Lord and Savior.
Now as a preacher said recently that is not all there is to ‘getting saved’, and we do not say the prayer just to get into heaven, but often God will allow us to be drawn by the fact that we do indeed want to be in heaven when we die and not in Hadies.
So we seek God, the Holy Spirit opens up our understanding and He allows us to read, and really get who Jesus is. Notice I do not say who He ‘was’ but is, because Jesus is alive and His Spirit is the Holy Spirit that lives in us. We need to understand this in the way that only God can show us.
That is why parables are there to teach us of how things are in heaven, and God’s Kingdom being ‘at hand’ as Jesus says.
the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light.
And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
a light has shined.”
17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” Mathew 4:16-17
Interesting fact, in Mathew 3:2 John the Baptist said the same words. This was before Jesus was baptized by him. Still God had opened Johns eyes to know the truth before Jesus walked up to be revealed as God’s son in whom He is well pleased.
God opened my eyes that way and He will do the same for you if you seek Him, read the Word, and apply it daily in prayer and in life changes.
The Word of God also tells us to let go of that old life, or the ‘old man’ and live new life in Christ. When you do that you desire to renew your mind daily in the Word of God and prayer, and yes then you will be applying what you learn to your life.
Look, I am not repeating myself any more than God does in the Word because I am using it to try to explain why some of us understand the scriptures and others get confused.
There is one more point I want to give you; study to show yourself approved by God, not man. When you read the Bible, write it down as I have said before and write it in your own words because that is how you will really see that you understand.
Read, write, pray, apply it to your life. That is how God will see you doing as the Word says in the verse below.
Study to show yourself approved rightly dividing the Word in truth.
Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit to the ruin of the hearers, be diligent to present yourselves approved by God a worker who does not need to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:14-16
As usual I hope you will read the rest of the chapter in these references as there is so much more to understand in this topic.
For today I want you to start with this prayer; open my eyes Lord, I want to see Jesus, to reach out and touch Him and know that He loves me….it comes from an old worship song but it is the cry, or should be, the cry of our hearts to Him.
Know Jesus, know peace, hope, love, and get understanding the more you study, the more you pray the more you apply it to your life with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Heavenly Father, I lift up those reading this message today that you would open their ears, their eyes and their hearts to know, love, and understand Your Word, In Jesus’ name,
In His Love,
Teresa Wilson