Luke 8:18 (NKJV)
"Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.”
In the book of John, the religious leaders of the day had a difficult time understanding what the Lord Jesus was telling them.
John 8:43 (NKJV)
"Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word."
In the next verse, the Lord revealed to them plainly that they were of their father, the devil.
John 8:44 (NKJV)
"You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it."
Could this be assumed to be for everyone?
No.
Because even His own disciples had difficulty understanding certain things that the Lord told them. But when a person doesn't want to understand, the impediment is more than not comprehending what was taught. It could be a spiritual blockage that you want and it may be too far gone.
The phrase "take heed" could be understood as "pay attention."
When you want to understand, you pay attention.
When you don't want to understand, you don't pay attention. In other words, you deliberately ignore what was said.
When you want to understand, it's a deliberate act of humility because you want to "get it."
Proverbs 4:7 (NKJV)
"Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding."
To get wisdom, you have to pursue it. Pursuing is only the beginning.
The purpose of the pursuit is to obtain.
It makes no sense to chase after something and not acquire it.
So when you're listening to the Word of God, you will have four kinds of people in your audience.
Which one are you?
In the parable of the sower (see Luke 8:11-15), you will have those on the wayside. Then you'll have those on stony ground, and then you'll have those on the thorny ground. But the best hearers are the ones on good ground.
The best hearers produce fruit under extreme circumstances because they want to comprehend. The ones that stand outside of the good ground are challenged with "birds" of the air known as "satan," then temptation, and then the cares, riches, and pleasures of life.
They hear the Word but satan comes immediately and take the seed. They don't even put up a fight against the "birds." Then you have people that hear the Word but they don't receive the Word because of temptation. They hang in there for a short time and then you don't see them any more. Then you have people that care only about their cares, riches, and pleasures of this life.
These people didn't "pay attention." Or they didn't want to "pay attention."
Or in a similar parable (Matthew 7:21-27), they built their house on sand. The rains came, the floods came, the winds blew and beat upon that house and great was the fall of their house that they've meticulously built on sand.
In pride, they've must have looked at their house and were thoroughly impressed.
They didn't "pay attention" that you don't build your house on sand.
Sand is a very weak foundation. The sunrise or the sunset on the beach may be nice but it's ill suited for a house. Let alone for it to survive the rain, floods, and winds.
Their foundation was weak.
The ones that took heed or "paid attention" are the ones that built their house on the rock and when the rains descended, the floods came, and the wind blew, it withstood the sustained catastrophic events.
Notice that the sustained catastrophic events happened to both the wise and the unwise.
Which tells us that no one is exempt. Everyone is tested.
"If you're not tested, you cannot be trusted."
Trouble comes for everyone but how you hear makes the difference.
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