Listening: Root & Fruit

We hear the Word of God more often than not. However, we might go unmoved by it; or perhaps do exactly what is contrary to it. The problem is then not in the Word nor in the hearing but in the listener's heart. King David the prophet and psalmist defined a good listener in the first verses of his first psalm saying, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper" (Psalm 1:1-3).
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The Vehement Violence Against the Christians of Nag Hammady

The horrific massacre in Nag Hammady on the eve of the Holy Feast of the Nativity was both terrifying for those who experienced it, unjustifiable for the families who buried their departed loved ones, and unpardonable as an unremorseful criminal activity. To take the life of an unsuspecting, unprotected human being is considered murder by all measures in any civilized society. To take the life of someone without shelter or defense in a place of worship is adulterated murder.
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The Great Repenter

Of all things difficult to bear in life, one of the most burdensome is sin. It is a dark abyss. Sin is a storm cloud that covers all the bright daylight in a persons life; a chilling wind that puts out in a persons heart the smallest candles of joy that still flicker. Anyone who has lived a life of sinful pleasure will tell you that the one thing that most characterized his life was not pleasure, but bondage. The Holy Bible calls sin a slave master, a yolk, a lie.
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Light of Light
Thanksgiving Purifies the Heart