Listening, inclining, heeding, obeying, these are all derived from a Hebrew word, Shema. It is a loaded word, does not just mean listen. Google describes it as listening with intent to take action, respond and submit to what is heard.
‘4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!‘
-Deuteronomy 6:4
There are many references to obey in the Bible. Most people associate that word with something militant, strict, authoritative. It is hard to follow orders mostly because of the influence of others. To draw from the behavior of my dogs. My otherwise obedient puppy, strays off the beaten path when the older dog that thinks he is human takes matters into his own hands and does exactly the opposite of what he is supposed to do. The puppy blindly follows him and disregards my commands. I have more on this behavior but that is for another day. The point is, sometimes we steer away from God’s will because of the influences around us.
“28 But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
-Luke 11:28
A few months ago, I joined a group of mentors guiding future leaders. Yesterday, I had the good fortune of listening to a presentation by this group of individuals who are aspiring to become leaders. This was their second round. Their first presentation missed the mark. The material was ill-prepared, the speakers were nervous and scattered, droning through the material on the slides. It was not a good experience for anybody in that meeting. We (the mentors) provided feedback. They took it and came back a month later, yesterday.
It was a spectacular presentation. They followed the instructions we provided. They heeded. I would go so far as to say obeyed the instructions. The result was that they significantly improved, understood the mechanics of presenting any thought process to any audience. And had a wonderful time working with each other, realizing the power of teamwork. What would have happened if they did not listen to our instructions? They would not have improved but there would not have been any serious consequences for them other than the loss of our interest in their growth.
If I take this and apply it to my life, here is what I see. God is perfect, I go to Him every day and ask him to clean my heart and renew my spirit, transform me into the perfect daughter he expects me to be. He tells me how I can be better through scripture, goading of the Holy Spirit. If I listen, incline, heed and obey then I am guaranteed to be perfected in whatever area He intends to perfect me in. Otherwise, I can continue to wonder why things are not changing for the better. However, He will not give up.
‘6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;‘
-Philippians 1:6
Dear God,
Thank You for loving us so much. Thank You for taking time to go with me and clean up the messes I create to shape me up. May I show gratitude by listening to You and obeying Your instructions. May I bring You glory through everything I say, think and do. Amen.