Listening And Love- How To Be a Good Listener!

GOOD LISTENING IS… HUMILITY OF MIND…AND…

1. – …CONSIDERING OTHERS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOURSELF;

“…Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit{Trying To Impress Others}, but with humility of MIND regard one another as more important than yourselves;”-{Phil 2:3} LISTENING WITH LOVE , begins with THINKING right from God’s perspective for us… with Humility of mind REGARD one another as More important than yourselves.” VALUE the Person, what they have to say by preferring them, esteeming them and listening to what they have to say… not halfhearted, waiting to jump in or always having to have the last word, or dismissing them and what they have to say. Does that mean if they are wrong that you are not to share TRUTH? No, but even when you do have to speak remember the motive is LOVE….

* “Let ALL that you DO be DONE in LOVE”- {1 Cor 16:14}-
* ” DO to others as you would have them DO to YOU.”-{Luke 6:31}
* “…’Truly I say to you, to the extent that you DID it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you DID it to Me.'”-{Matt 25:40}. Does it matter how you treat others?He says it does!The way we treat one another is in EXACT Proportion to how we treat Him! Do you want to see how you are treating Him? Look how you are treating others!!

GOOD LISTENING IS…

2. – … LOOKING OUT FOR THE INTERESTS OF OTHERS;

“…does not merely look out for its own interests BUT Also the interest of others”- {Read Phil 2:4}. Looking out not merely your own interests BUT ALSO the interests of… OTHERS! Listening affords you and me the opportunity to live out love expressed through humility which is manifested by choosing to DENY OURSELVES and instead VALUE others above ourselves. Show them RESPECT by choosing to LISTEN and VALUE THEM… Go beyond your own interests to take an interest in others and their interests! IT is to be Their Focused…. their welfare, interests are your concern!

LOVE expressed through LISTENING -whereas in contrast consider…

• “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, BUT ONLY in expressing his opinion. “– {Prov 18:2} – and
• “Whoever answers before listening is both foolish and shameful, {disgraceful};” – (Proverbs 18:13-,International Standard Version).

Some don’t listen. They begin to hear and then INTERRUPT to give their own opinion  as that is what they are concerned with most! They or should I say “we,” at times when we interject without hearing, in the case where facts need to be established, but choose to jump in with our own opinion and then later may prove to be shameful, as truth comes out and we didn’t take time to listen!  Before he had heard all and considered what was said, blurts out his opinion is foolish and shameful, disgraceful!

• “Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.”-{Prov 17:28}.

But the one who gives an answer before he or she hears doesn’t even have the appearance of the fool who are thought wise because they keep their mouth closed!

• “Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish. “-{Prov 18:13 NLT}
• “Listen before you answer. If you don’t, you are being stupid and insulting.” -{ Prov 18:13 GNB}.

There are TWO TYPES Of Listeners!

Are you listening only to get your opinion across, as your goal? Are you constantly interrupting people? Are you more concerned in speaking, dominating the conversation, by breaking in, rather than listening to the other person, in order to understand? If so, you are behaving as a fool, indeed foolish, shameful, disgraceful behavior is what you or I exhibit if this is how we live. Are you a Godly listener or a foolish person, when it comes to listening?  There are two types of listeners, which kind of pattern do you continually live? It’s Either, Or? How we choose to listen or not, says a lot about our character, who and what we are!

Loving others can be manifested in the way you choose to LISTEN… Two Ingredients of being a listener who loves people are…Humility of Mind, thinking as God would have us think and acting out as the way we practice living, manifested in regarding others as more important than…you… and looking out not just for your own interests BUT ALSO the interests of others!

Today what someone may need most from you is to Listen… not half-heartedly or ready to jump in but listen with empathy and love for…them. Sometimes someone just needs someone to listen to them….Its possible to “hear” what you want, or think, but not listen…love someone today and choose to let them speak, and you choose to LISTEN…”My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,…”-{James 1:19}

“Just as love to God begins with listening to His Word, so the beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them.” -{Bonhoeffer }