A 92-year-old man went to the doctor to get a physical. A few days later the doctor saw the man walking down the street with a gorgeous young lady on his arm. At the man’s next appointment, the doctor said, “Looks like you’re doing just fine.”
The man replied, “Just doing what you said, Doc: ‘Get a hot mamma and be cheerful.’”
The doctor said, “I didn’t say that! I said you got a heart murmur. Be careful.”
For millions of Americans, it’s time to get your hearing tested. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders reports that an estimated 26 million Americans between the ages of 20 and 69 have high frequency hearing loss due to exposure to noise at work or during leisure activities.
According to the World Health Organization, some 360 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss, with half of all cases being avoidable through some simple strategies for prevention. They include reducing exposure to loud sounds by raising awareness about the risks; encouraging individuals to use personal protective devices such as earplugs and noise-canceling earphones and headphones; screening children for inflammation of the ear followed by appropriate medical or surgical interventions and following healthy ear care practices, including immunization of children against childhood diseases.
While aging causes gradual hearing loss, mostly in the high frequencies, a senior scientist at St. Louis’ Central Institute for the Deaf said, “About 75 percent of hearing loss in the typical American is caused not by the aging process alone but by what you’ve done to your ears throughout your lifetime.”
What are the signs you have a hearing loss problem? Frequently asking people to repeat themselves, turning your ear toward a sound to hear it better, understanding people better when you look directly at their faces, having difficulty hearing in group conversations or keeping the volume on your radio or TV at a level that others say is too loud are clear signs. Also, if you are having pain, ringing, roaring, hissing, or buzzing in the ear, you may want to get your hearing checked.
Experts say people who have hearing loss are sometimes not aware of it. Family members or friends often are the first to notice the hearing loss. If this is true with our literal hearing, could it be equally true with our spiritual hearing? It's been said that people hear what they want to hear. There is a reason for this.
At Matthew 13:13-15, Jesus applied the words of Isaiah 6:9,10 to people in his day who heard the Word of God but could not get the sense of it. Jesus said, “That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand. This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, ‘When you hear what I say you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes — so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’” — New Living Translation.
According to verse 15 Jesus related the people’s inability to hear and comprehend with a serious heart problem. He said, “the hearts of these people are hardened.” How did this happen? Luke 2:52 shows at one time Jesus was favored by the majority. But gradually they desired to imitate their father, the Devil, instead of listening to Jesus (John 8:43-47). Ask yourself, “Who am I listening to — God or man?”
In Matthew 15:8, Jesus quotes Isaiah 29:13, saying, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” — New International Version. They were in the presence of the Son of God, the greatest teacher to ever walk the earth, yet they were unable to understand what Jesus was saying because their hearts were not right with God. Pride infected them. Is there a lesson for us?
Shouldn’t we pray to God and ask that our heart is always receptive to the truth, no matter who shares it with us? Shouldn’t we listen to God’s Word first and foremost, instead of putting our trust in the promises and interpretations of humans (Romans 3:4)? There were many voices shouting to the crowds in Jesus’ day. Most of the people listened to the Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees — religious leaders who hated the truths Jesus taught. They discouraged people from listening to Jesus.
Jesus healed the deaf. But those who were spiritually deaf, because of their hardened hearts, refused to believe in him. They could not get the sense of who he really was — their savior — and what they needed to do. According to 2Timothy 4:3, “The time will come when people will not listen to the truth. They will look for teachers who will tell them only what they want to hear.” — New Life Version.
Do you get the feeling we're living in that time right now?
Anyone seeking the truth cannot afford to “look for teachers who will tell them only what they want to hear.” They want the truth even if it hurts. They want the truth that sets them free! Respect for the Word of God is far more important! By paying attention to how we listen to God’s Word, seeking its truth with a humble heart, we can be certain that when the Fine Shepherd calls, we will hear him.
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