Do You Hear What I Hear

I'm home today from work, it being a holiday for us government workers, yesterday being Remembrance Day in Canada.
I went out earlier this morning to obtain what I like to call a, 'real cup of java', yes I like my joe way to much, and I can make it at home, but somehow getting a real Timmy's (for those not understanding this encrypted word) from Tim Horton's coffee shop.
The term 'double double' is now a legitimate word found in the Websters dictionary...what would you like in that coffee, a double double please~ha!

My wife had used the car last and she had listened to the latest pod cast from Wayne and Brad on the God Journey. I turned the radio on and it, the cd started from the beginning, now I want to say that I have heard (along with the other intros) this intro many many times, but this morning Father captured my attention big time in hearing Him through what Wayne said..this is what I heard, and it is still resonating within me. Actually it was the first thing said by Wayne in the intro.........

"This journey is about listening to Father"!!

Without 'hearing'~(man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word proceeding from His mouth.) is it not merely going through the motions, maybe even looking right on the outside according to some religious standard, or as Paul says, having at best a form of Godliness, but void of any real power.

When they asked Jesus what were the greatest commandments, (meaning, they knew what Moses had said) Jesus replied first and foremost (And this is missed almost every time) HEAR OH ISRAEL, and then He said what they were, but it means nothing without hearing..faith comes by hearing, and hearing from the WORD Himself.

In my opinion, this whole deal of hearing, is a most vivid expression of intimacy, as it were, Him the lover of my soul, making love to my heart.
I cannot fathom the Father of my spirit interacting, speaking into the core of my being, without it being full of copious amounts of His total loving acceptance of me~His son.

Here is what I am pondering on in light of 'hearing' today...When He answered the question as to what was the greatest of the commandments, I see this happening.
First I want to inject this thought, Jesus said, 'He who has ears to hear, hear what the Spirit is saying'.
In not hearing and in not knowing (understanding) that what He speaks is inseparable from His total loving acceptance of us, all we hear is something we think is to be done.

Maybe in hearing, we are experiencing so much more than simply hearing sounds/words being spoken, but in fact being washed, bathed, showered in this undeniable total loving acceptance of His embrace, and maybe out of that overflow, we discover the supernatural natural ability to not only love Him above everything, with all of our soul (mind-will-emotions) body and spirit, but also our neighbor as ourself.

Is this a work, YES, a working of His grace, doing what we were created to do, knowing his present total loving acceptance of us, it frees us to live and love others, because we're LOVED!

Rich