Listening And Doing

Listening And Doing: Pastor Micky Kua

This Sunday at CDC we were privileged to have our own Pastor Micky give us the message on the topic: Listening and Doing as we continued our series on the book of James.

“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,” James 1:19

Listening

The art of listening is indeed a critical key to the success of all relationships and communication. All too often, we are too quick to speak, and when we hear, we don’t listen. Words come in and go out without any effort on our part to think about what has been said or not said. Sometimes, there are even words spoken through silence, and we may understand if we listen hard enough, with our hearts and minds.

James says that we must be quick to listen. We will only be quick to listen if we are interested in what that person has to say. Hence, it speaks of the general attitude that we have towards others - whether we really care about them. Too often, we are too focused on ourselves and what we have to say. 

In the parable of the Sower, Jesus described four types of ground where seeds land - hard ground, shallow ground, ground with thorns and ground with good soil.

A very important aspect in listening well is humility. This is especially important when it comes to God’s Word, whether read or preached. If we think we know it all, then our pride clouds our hearts and God cannot speak to us or teach us anything new. We must first of all watch that our hearts are not hard towards God’s Word, for then the seed of God’s Word will not be able to take root in our lives.

Secondly, to listen well, we also need to care. Superficial listeners listen, respond happily, and quickly forget what you just said. However, for the seed of God’s Word to grow, we need to care deeply about it, and take it seriously. It is the same with others, we need to learn to listen attentively to them if we really care about them.

Finally, to listen well, we need concentration. In life, there are so many distractions and problems that make it hard for us to concentrate. These concerns will choke the Word in us, making it unfruitful. In the same way, when we listen to someone while worrying about something else, we can’t really register what the person is saying and respond effectively.

If we approach the Word of God humbly, caring for its wisdom and concentrating on it, God will certainly speak to us. In the same way, when we adopt the humble attitude towards those who speak to us, genuinely care about them from our hearts, and concentrate on what they are saying, we will certainly grow in our relationship with them. Then, we will be like good soil, reproducing seed many, many times.

Doing  

Doing is the next essential step after listening. If we listen but don’t do, it is self-deception. It is pointless reading a recipe book over and over again if one does not try cooking the meal at all. The Word of God is like a mirror, revealing to us the parts of our life that we must change. However, if we choose not to change in spite of what we see, even God cannot help us. God’s word is for transformation and not for information.

In regard to the art of “doing”, James refers to three important aspects:-

(i)                  Speech – Out of the mouth, the heart overflows. The tongue is indeed the index of our character. If we cannot control our tongue, we cannot control ourselves. Before we say anything, we should ask ourselves:- Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it helpful?

(ii)                Conduct – In the time of James, the orphans and the widows were the most needy of the day. Today, there are also many people who need our help. It is important for us to incorporate good works as part of our lives. Whenever we help someone who is in need in Jesus name, it is as if we are helping our Lord Himself.

(iii)               Purity – Finally, it is important for us to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world. Obsession with money, possessions, sex and fame drives the world round. However, we are to take a different view, looking to please God first as our primary focus.

May we indeed learn to listen and do as the Word has taught us, in Jesus name.

God bless,

Jason