Prejudice can make a man blind to everything which he does not wish to
see. Many people refuse to listen to the truth which condemns them.
There is the hearer with the mind like the shallow ground. This is the
type of person who is at the mercy of every new craze. They take a
thing up quickly and just as quickly drop it. They must always be in
fashion.
There are people who begin to acquire some new accomplishment with
enthusiasm and when things become difficult, they abandon it. When he
hears the word of God he may be swept off his feet with an emotional
reaction but his enthusiasm diminishes after a while like a slowly
dying fire.
Then there is the hearer of the word of God who has so many interests
in life that certain things, and often the most important things get
crowded out. It is characteristic of modern life that it becomes
increasingly crowded and increasingly fast. A person becomes too busy
to pray.
Finally there is the person who is like the good ground. His mind is
open. He is at all times willing to learn. He is never too proud or
too busy to listen. He has reflected on the word of God and knows what
it means for him, and is prepared to accept it. He then translates his
hearing into action. He produces the good fruit of the good seed. The
real hearers of the word of God is the person who listens, who
understands and who obeys.
Language: English | Español
All Issues > Volume 29, Issue 4
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