ISAIAH 55:1 - "HO"

"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.", (Revelation 2:7). As I was praying about finally starting in this chapter, I was really blessed with some things God was speaking to me about. One thing that I feel He was speaking to me in was why Jesus spoke in parables; the other thing He gave me to dwell on, was why He had Adam name all the animals; is there a similarity between the two; I think there must be. In the verse above, Jesus is speaking to John, and having him write letters down for the seven churches. Each church is represented by an angel, or messenger: one sent to announce or proclaim. If we look into each of these letters to the churches, we can find not only things that are applicable to actual church periods, doctrines, and church bodies; but we can find nuggets of information that can pertain to our individual lives; messages from our Lord Jesus Christ which He is speaking into us as individuals. Things that we must listen to, but not just with our ears; we must listen with the ear of our minds; which can actually cause us to obey. In Matthew 13:36-52, Jesus lays out a whole bunch of nuggets, and when He was done, he asked the disciples in verse 51, "Have you understood all these things?"; to which they answered, "Yes, Lord"; but then Jesus says something really interesting in verse 52: "Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven, is like unto a man that is a householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old." There are just some things that we need to search out for ourselves; this is something we must do as individuals, and look for, and apply the message God has to our very lives. Thus the reason for Jesus to speak in parables; so those that heard Him speak could search for the meaning and apply it to their lives; because when we use that part of our brain, which is meant to be for analysis, creativity and application, all in one; we can then make the greatest impact upon our ability to follow through. When God told Adam to name all the animals, this is the part of the brain which was put to work. Think about this just for a moment; What would you do if that was your task? What were all the things which you would consider as you thought of a name for each and every animal? Would you consider what the animal looks like when naming it? Would you think about what the animal does, eats and where it lives? Would you think about how the animal you are about to name affects your life? When naming the animal, would you think about how that particular animal was useful for you? And; When you gave the animal a name, would you consider why God created it? This is the kind of thought process which we need to use as we hear what God is saying to us; as we apply what He is saying to our lives; as we consider what the implications are towards our Eternal Souls. God's word is alive, eternal, and has layers upon layers of applications. Applications, which when we find them, can make the most impact upon us as individuals; more so than if the same thing was spelled out to us in great detail; Why?; because we have to search for it. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchantman, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it." (Matthew 13:44-46) As Isaiah starts off this chapter, he does so with a proclamation: "Ho"; in other words, 'listen up and prepare to apply what I am going to say to your very life'. "Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive: For the people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see, see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them." (Matthew 13:13-15) ['Holy Spirit, come and fill us; as we read your Word; as we seek You to show us the applications to our lives; may You cause us to go deep into our very souls, as we are purified by Your Word...']