Storytime!

Who likes to hear a good story? I know I do! Everyone likes to hear a good story from time to time. A story that makes you smile and laugh, feel inspired, and gives hope is the best! With everything going on around us right now, it's so good to still hear stories of hope amidst the virus and quarantine season. Stories are everywhere. We read them online or in printed newspapers. We see them on social media. We hear them on the radio and see them on the television. As we see different stories, there are different reactions to the stories. Some may cry, get mad, be concerned, laugh, be disappointed, scared or even moved to take action. Did you know that Jesus liked stories too? He told stories all the time! The stories Jesus told in the Bible are called parables. Parables were stories taught to give a spiritual point. Everywhere Jesus went, He met lots of different people. As a way to reach the different people He met, he often talked to them about something they could relate to. They were more likely to listen if they could relate to what he was saying. While all the people he met were different and had different backgrounds, they all needed to know about the Word and needed to know there was hope in God. The parables did just that! The people that heard the parables should have been able to take away something from the story and apply it in their own life. God also wants us to apply His Word in our lives. We first must know what the Word says in order to apply and live it. So as we take time to read and hear the Word for ourselves, I want to talk about 3 L's we can use when hearing the Word. The first L is Listen. Pray first before reading and hearing the Word. Ask God to help you listen carefully and understand what is being said. We need to listen with an open heart and mind. We need to block out distractions and put away any electronic devices that could distract us (the phone, iPad, tablet, etc.). We want to be able hear clearly and miss nothing. Our life depends on the Word of God! The second L is Learn. We should go in it asking ourselves what can I take away from this. You can learn something new or see it from a different way. No matter how many times we have read or heard a particular Bible verse, we can still get something different out of it every time. We'll be at different places and seasons in our lives as we move forward in life, so we'll be able to have different perspectives along the way. The third L is Live. We need to live what we read and hear from the Word. James 1:22 tells us not only to hear the Word, but do what it says. After hearing the parables Jesus told, people should have been moved to take action. After hearing the Word of God, we too should be moved to take action. We should find something that we can do different and better than before. There is always room for growth and improvement. We do need to thank God for where He's brought us from! Know He wants to continue to make us better and move us forward. We should want to move forward and that's what these 3 L's will help us to do. Now, some stories we hear on the radio, social media, or news may or may not move us to make a difference. Ask yourself is there anything you can take away from the story and is there something you should or should not do as a result of hearing it. When it comes to God's Word, it should move us to make a difference. It should cause us to take action, strive for better in our lives and encourage others to do the same. Remember the 3 L's. Listen. Learn. Live.