Be Careful How You Listen

A Lamp on a Lampstand

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Right after the story of the sower, Jesus talked about a lamp. Seed and lamp go together. God's Word grows in us, and then it shines out of us.

A small clay lamp. In Bible times a lamp was usually a little clay dish filled with olive oil, with a wick at one end. One lamp could light a small house.

Not under a bed. “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed” (Luke 8:16). A hidden lamp helps nobody.

Up high. A lamp is set “on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light” (Luke 8:16). Light is meant to be seen.

God's Word is a lamp. “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). It shows us where to step and where not to step.

Jesus is the Light. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Light for the road. When God led His people out of Egypt, He went before them “by night in a pillar of fire to give them light” (Exodus 13:21). God has always given His people light for the way.

Walking in the light. “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Nothing stays hidden. “For nothing is secret that will not be revealed” (Luke 8:17). God's truth will come out into the open, and so will what is really in our hearts.

Shine where you are. You do not have to be grown up to shine. Kindness, honesty and telling others about Jesus let His light be seen at home and at school.

Light for the whole house. When you obey God's Word at home, your family sees it. Helping, sharing and saying sorry quickly are ways a lamp shines in a house.

Light that is shared. When you tell a friend what God's Word says, you are holding up a lamp so that someone else can see too. One lamp can light another without losing its own flame.

Do not hide it. Sometimes we feel shy about Jesus. But a lamp is lit to give light. Ask God for courage to let His light show.

What we learn. God's Word is a light, and Jesus is the Light. The light He gives us is meant to shine, not hide.

What to do. This week, do one thing that lets Jesus' light shine. Help someone, tell the truth or share a Bible verse.

The lamp saying comes right after the sower. The seed that is received must also be shown. Hearing God's Word is never meant to stay private.

Luchnos. The word for lamp is luchnos (say: LOOKH-noss), a small clay oil lamp. Many lamps like it have been dug up in Israel. A lampstand lifted it so that its small flame could light a whole room.

A vessel or a bed (8:16). Covering a lamp with a jar or pushing it under a bed would make lighting it pointless. A believer who keeps God's truth completely to himself misses the reason he was given light.

Psalm 119:105. “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” An oil lamp lit only a few steps ahead. God's Word often guides us the same way, one step at a time.

Exodus 13:21-22. The Lord went before Israel “by night in a pillar of fire to give them light.” “He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.” God's light never left them.

John 8:12. Jesus calls Himself “the light of the world.” The light we carry is borrowed. A lamp gives light only because someone has lit it.

1 John 1:7. Walking in the light means living honestly before God. It brings fellowship with other believers and cleansing through “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son.”

Revealed (8:17). “For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.” God hides truth for a time only so that it can be made known. What Jesus told His disciples in private, they later preached to the world.

Hearts revealed. The same verse is also a warning. What is hidden in a heart will one day be known. Living in the light now means having nothing to hide later.

Light that spreads. One oil lamp can light another without losing its own flame. Sharing what God has shown you does not use it up. It spreads it.

Courage. Fear of what friends think can push a lamp under the bed. 2 Peter 1:19 calls God's prophetic word “a light that shines in a dark place.” Darkness is exactly where light is needed.

Light and words. Shining includes how we live and what we say. A kind life opens the door, and words about Jesus explain where the light comes from.

Ask yourself. Is there a place where you hide that you follow Jesus? Ask God for courage there.

Application. Choose one person this week. Pray for them, and look for a chance to show or tell them the light of Jesus.

Hearers Who Keep the Word

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Jesus said, “Therefore take heed how you hear” (Luke 8:18). Listening to God is more than letting sounds into our ears. It means taking His words to heart.

Doers, not just hearers. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22). Hearing without doing fools us into thinking we have listened.

More will be given. “For whoever has, to him more will be given” (Luke 8:18). When you listen and obey, God helps you understand more.

Lydia listened. When Paul taught by a river in Philippi, the Lord opened Lydia's heart, and she paid close attention to what he said (Acts 16:14). God helps us listen.

A whole city listened. When Ezra read God's Law aloud in Jerusalem, the people stood and listened closely from morning until midday (Nehemiah 8:3). They wanted to hear every word.

A traveler asked. An official from Ethiopia was reading Isaiah in his chariot. He asked Philip to explain it, listened as Philip told him about Jesus, and believed (Acts 8:30-37). Good listeners ask questions.

The Bereans checked. In Berea, people gladly listened to Paul. Then they searched the Scriptures every day to see if what he said was true (Acts 17:11).

Swift to hear. “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19). Good listeners do more listening than talking.

Not a forgetful hearer. James says the blessed person “is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work” (James 1:25).

Hear and keep. Jesus said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:28).

Hidden in your heart. “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). Learning Bible verses by heart keeps them close.

Listen at church too. When the Bible is read or taught at church, listen as if God is speaking to you, because He is. Bring one question home and talk about it with your family.

What we learn. God loves to speak to people who listen. Good listeners hear, remember and obey.

What to do. Pick one verse this week. Read it each morning, say it at night and do what it says.

Luke 8:18 begins with “Therefore.” Because the word is seed and light, the way we hear it matters more than almost anything.

Akouo. The Greek verb akouo (say: ah-KOO-oh) means to hear. In the Bible it often means to listen and respond. In the Old Testament, to hear God usually meant to obey Him.

James 1:22. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” A hearer who never obeys fools himself into thinking he has received the word. Real hearing shows up in what we do.

What you hear (Mark 4:24). Jesus also said, “Take heed what you hear.” We should be careful both about what we listen to and about how we listen.

More given, more taken (8:18). “Whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.” Truth that is received and used grows. Ignored truth fades until a person loses even the little he thought he had.

Lydia (Acts 16:14). The Lord opened Lydia's heart so that she listened closely to what Paul said. Good listening is something God gives as well as something we choose, so it is right to ask Him for it.

Two more listeners. When Ezra read the Law, the people listened closely from morning until midday (Nehemiah 8:3). The Ethiopian official read Isaiah, asked Philip what it meant and believed in Jesus (Acts 8:30-37). One shows attention, and the other shows an honest question.

The Bereans (Acts 17:11). They received the word eagerly and then searched the Scriptures daily. Eager hearts and careful minds go together.

James 1:19-20. “Swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” Quick talkers and angry hearts make poor listeners, both to people and to God.

James 1:25. The blessed person looks into God's word, “continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work.”

Luke 11:28. When a woman in the crowd praised Jesus' mother, Jesus answered, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Psalm 119:11. Storing God's word in the heart is protection against sin. Memorizing Scripture keeps the seed where the birds cannot reach it.

The Spirit who teaches. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit “will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26). He helps believers understand and remember God's word.

Application. Choose a time each day to read a short passage. Write one sentence about what it says and one about what you will do.

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Complete all sections to finish!

Read each section and answer the questions correctly.