Updated 7/8/16

Kingdom Principle: Leading with your Ears is act of Love

While your brain is divided into four lobes and your heart has four chambers… the true lobes of love are those of your ears. Last week we spelled out the first three steps of 2LAF (Listen, Accept, Forgiven)…. And if you do not move through this means of listening to the Spirit then it is as if your ears are filled with mountains of ear wax.  And yes, the LORD can melt that mountain. (Ps. 97:5) But this is not about having lovely lobes, it is how we use those lobes to love others. We are called to Love with our ears.

Last week we focused on the anchor of the Holy Spirit and our listening to God. (Our own acceptance and forgiveness takes root in us here.) This week we will see that in listening to God, we will better able to Love, Appreciate and Forgive others as the LORD leads.  This may be look like the work of the Good Samaritan or the bold Proclamation of Amos. (The best example will be next week in Mary) But it is never from a pedestal or prideful stance, rather it returns us to the acts of a Kingdom ServantLeader.  It is our calling and anchoring of the Spirit of God which motivates love to be a gift given away. We are confronted this week with texts of Judgment. This blog will enter from a perspective that in order for the one being judged to hear the words spoken to them, there must be a relationship established. The Lord tells Amos… “these are my people, yet I will spare them no longer”. The reality is that before the of the words judgement can be delivered… the giver must learn to 2LAF before they seek to speak. This again is why we must first lead with our ears.   In this way we are able to listen to the thoughts and questions behind the spoken question and we remain anchored when someone does something that we presume is stupid or ridiculous – when what you (in your flesh) really want to do is blast them with your opinion, rather than giving them the message of the Lord. As my listening coach (and author of the book recommended last week) says, “listening creates a bridge – that enables the other person to hear you at the “right” times. That right time is when you have earned the “right” to speak as the Lord leads you, not simply as you see it fit.” When we answer another’s problem or give the solution to their situation – it often makes us feel powerful. This power makes it all that much harder for us to die to self. Here we substitute power for authority.

Here’s the problem – Jesus was fully anchored – all the time…. I (and maybe you too) however need some work in this area. Listening as an act of Love is the work we need.  As the Expert/Teacher of the Law asked Jesus a question, Jesus replies with a question to clarify what is being asked. This is further developed as Jesus  appreciates the exchange and the answer that the expert gives. There is no offense or call for the other to defend their question. To this then Jesus teaches by telling a story- again letting the Spirit bring the revelation and truth rather than Jesus needing to show His wisdom or power. With Amos, twice previous to this week’s text, the Scriptures point out that Amos wants God to relent on the judgment against Israel, but here in the third vision, Amos gets it.  But before blasting Israel in Judgment, Amos listens to what Amaziah says and summarizes his words and clarifies the thought so that Amaziah might hear the word of the LORD. This effort of listening creates the bridge so that the intended message is received rather than reacting to Amos as the messenger. This act of listening seeks to appreciate the person and the perspective from which they are coming from.  I personally have failed much in this regard, because for many years I appreciated myself and my wisdom to fix others rather than appreciating the person to whom I was bringing my (Gods’) truth. I was there to declare the truth, rather than to lead with my ears. (Praise God this is dying in me…) The act of leading with your ears is only possible if “I” decrease and the presence of Jesus increases. Remember it is the Spirit which brings conviction, it is the Spirit which teaches, it is the Spirit which comforts, advocates and guides us to truth…. (These were the roots of the rather than the fruit of the Spirit. John 16:8 – bring conviction, John 14:26, 16:13 – guide to truth, Luke 12:12 – teach what to say, Romans 8:26 – help in weakness, Philippians 3:3 – lead us in worship, Galatians 5:25 – move us with confidence.) Yet how often do we get caught up in trying to say the right words and thinking that we must demonstrate God’s truth…. Let us have lovely lobes and lead with our ears.

2 LAF (listen, accept, forgiven, LOVE, APPRECIATE, FORGIVE) is the act of leading with your ears. Yet again all too often we place the emphasis of leading as an act of our mouth. Paul spells out in Colossians the results rootedness of the Spirit; Bear Fruit of Spirit, Growth in Knowledge, Strengthen in power, Increased endurance & patience, thankful living. These results will be markers by which the world around us will be able to know what it “sounds” like 2LAF. But they are not dependent on our words. As St. Francis Assisi is often quoted, “preach the gospel at all times, using words when necessary.”

Listening is the Key to Relationships: 2LAF is the means to enjoying Relationships. Below is an outline helping you to see common errors in listening with your mind, will or emotions rather than with your spirit.

Listening with your mind – reveals you are distracted

Our Error is to:
__Think__    of your response while they speak

__Assume_    you know what they mean

__React__    to one thing you heard them say

__Pretend_    you care or have time if you don’t

Listening with your will – leaves you irritated

Our Error is to:
__Solve____   the other person’s problems

__Share____   similar experiences to empathize

__Minimizing_   their problems for the positive

__Attempt_   to will them to do anything

Listen with your emotion  – increases your anxiety

Our Error is to :
__Express_   your personal concerns, wants and outcome

__Miss__   their non-verbal’s  and history

__Exaggerate__   emotion and emphasis of words

__Fear _   that acceptance of the person equals agreement

Listen with your spirit–  be slow to speak

Our Goals are to:
Acknowledge   another person

__Accept__   another person    (Receive with Respect)

__Appreciate__   another person   (Recognize with Gratitude. )

__Bless___   another person

Listen – we are sent into the world as listeners, because the Lord has listened to us

Accept – we are sent into the world to accept, because the Lord has accepted us

Forgiven – we are sent into the world as forgiven, because the Lord as forgiven us

Love – we are sent into the world to love, because the Lord loves the world

Appreciate – we are sent into the world to appreciate, because the Lord appreciates the world

Forgive – we are sent into the world to forgive, because the Lord forgives the world