Listeners vs. Heeders

“It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to
a song of fools” (Ecclesiastes 7:5).

It may have been always so, but at present we seem to have
plenty of songs from many fools. We also seem to be short on wise men. The
greatest shortage, however, is in heeders. A heeder is one who listens
(pays attention) and obeys what he has heard. James said it this way:

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive
yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22).

In my early Christian life, I memorized many verses of
Scripture. I succeeded in deceiving myself. I was not obeying; I was not
heeding. I thought I was spiritual.

Being a listener is a dangerous position to be in. There are
many good teachers of the Word. There are many more listeners. They flock to
good teachers. The teacher should not be pleased that he has many listeners,
unless he is going to teach them how to be heeders. This is one of the
clear requirements in the Great Commission: “…teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20).

This post coordinates with today’s reading in the To
the Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan,
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