"Making It Real"

"I will incline my ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp." (Psalms 49:4) If I really want to understand what God is speaking into my heart, then there are a couple ways for me to begin, the first of which is to listen. That is probably the biggest mistake that we make in the way that we gain any kind of meaningful understanding, in that we hear what is being said, but we really don't listen to what God is telling us to do; instead, we hear what He says, then make our own meaning up about what He said, without taking the time to listen. It is easy to hear, but it is hard to listen. Listening requires complete attention to what is being said, as in, stopping whatever it is that you are doing, and really listening to what is being spoken. Oh, I heard this before, so I don't really need to pay that much attention; besides, I have got this down; my life is good, and I have it all under control. Sadly, that is the whole point of what I said yesterday; we don't have it all under control, and as soon as we think that we do, we are setting ourselves up for a fall. We cannot take our little toys from the toy box and try to use them in the real world, as if anything that we have is of any use to really make a difference. Nothing is real! I cannot believe that we don't understand that! How can we put our trust in anything that has no life within itself? We can't! There is only one Giver of life, and that is Jesus; our riches do not give life; our riches do not contain life, they might maintain some life, but they fall very very short when it comes to providing life; don't take my word for that, just ask any rich person that has a terminal illness. The second biggest mistake that we make in the way that we gain any kind of meaningful understanding, is how we relate what we are told; it is one thing to listen to what we are told to do, it is something totally different to accept it as truth. Nothing is real that is not the truth! I don't care what you hear, or even what you see, if you cannot accept it as the truth, then you will not trust that it is real. A simple way to acknowledge the truth is to turn it back in the form of worship! We were made for worship, and we are designed to worship the God that has made us! You want to make what you think that you understand real, then worship God within your understanding! Acknowledge what you have been given to the Giver of all that you have... "Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. Thou shalt plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall; plant, and shall eat them as common things. For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the LORD our God. For thus saith the LORD; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye and say, O LORD, save Thy people, the remnant of Israel." (Jeremiah 31:4-7)