Are You Listening?

And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s messenger and High Priest. 2 For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire house.

3 But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself. 4 For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God.

5 Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. 6 But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.

7 That is why the Holy Spirit says,

“Today when you hear his voice,

8 don’t harden your hearts

as Israel did when they rebelled,

when they tested me in the wilderness.

9 There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,

even though they saw my miracles for forty years.

10 So I was angry with them, and I said,

‘Their hearts always turn away from me.

They refuse to do what I tell them.’

11 So in my anger I took an oath:

‘They will never enter my place of rest.’

12 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. 13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. 14 For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. 15 Remember what it says:

“Today when you hear his voice,

don’t harden your hearts

as Israel did when they rebelled.”

 ―Hebrews 3:1-15

So what does this passage tell me? It tells me that our calling, "dear brothers and sisters who belong to God," involves some sort of action, some sort of response. There is something for us to do. Now this does not mean that we are defined by what we do. We have already been defined in Christ so that we can first, be with our Lord, and second, do His work (Mark 3:13-15). But before I continue, I want to expound on something.

God is a covenant God. A covenant is by definition mutual, not one sided. Another way of describing a covenant is an alliance between two parties based on an agreement. Therefore, our part in God's covenant with us is to position ourselves in a place of agreement with God. We can't do this on our own, but because Christ's sacrifice and resurrection has spiritually positioned us into a place of agreement with God, we are able to partner with Him and maintain our side of the covenant, despite our inclination to rebellion. Yet even in this deliverance, we can limit our ability to walk in His gifts, simply by disagreeing with them. The blessings that you are ordained to receive in a covenant with God are based on being in agreement with Him. In other words, the unlimited pool of resources that is designated for your use is connected to the goals, plans, and purposes of God. So that means if you ask God for something to advance your goals that conflict with His, you won't get what you're looking for (James 4:1-3). The result is a lack of rest in not getting what we want which creates wars and fights among us. This is not rest, this is rebellion.

Now I'm not saying this is always so cut and dry. Sometimes, once you think you have God figured out, He goes and does something completely out of left field, lol. Sometimes He'll give us the things we ask for just because we want them. But it does not mean that they are the best for us. Israel asked God for an earthly king. They wanted to be just like every other nation. They chose to define themselves in a way that they wanted, rather than to listen to God in his eternal wisdom to define them. That is rebellion. Where there is an unwillingness to be in agreement with God's plans, there is a growth in our rebellion. Our way may sound right, it may feel good, and chances are it's what we are used to and comfortable with, but surprisingly enough it never brings true rest.

So what does he want from us? What is that thing that we are to do? He wants us to have hearts to listen! “This is why the Holy Spirit says, 'Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.' ” Living a life of open communication with God keeps us in alignment with His goals and His will for everything in our lives. Don't become apathetic to hearing His voice; there's no rest in that! "But let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect" (Romans 12:2). Communing with His person grows us in the "knowledge of his will [...] to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better" (Colossians 1:9-10). There's always something to hear from Him. Rest comes from surrender, but surrender comes from hearing. So in order to surrender, take time to open your ears and expect to hear from God, because He is speaking. Are you listening?