Garbage In…Garbage Out

And He said to them, “Be careful what you are hearing.

The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear]

will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you

and more [besides] will be given to you who hear.

For to him who has will more be given;

and from him who has nothing,

even what he has will be taken away [by force].”

Mark 4:24-25
Amplified Version

This scripture was confusing until I found it in the amplified version. As I really meditated on it, I was able to amplify and expand even further the concept of the verse. The idea is that if we hear and listen to the truth, God will reward us with knowledge and insight, but if we put aside the truth and instead have only the knowledge that comes from the world…a world full of contradictory schools of thought, false ideologies and confusing philosophies…in the end, it will all be taken away.

There are so many dangerous teachings out there. They sound good, look enticing, and appeal to our prideful desires. We can easily use them to fill that void in ourselves. Maybe there’s a beauty to the way it presents itself and so we applaud it as art. Then we spout out the weighty words in order to appear wise and knowledgeable. The phrase that comes to my mind is, “Garbage In…Garbage Out.” I know it’s a phrase usually referring to the computer world, but I think it applies to what we feed our minds as well. The real danger is, if these teachings are contrary to the Word of God, they lead only down one path, and the end is death and hell.

God guarantees us, however, that if we are careful about what we allow ourselves to listen to, if we are careful to listen to His truth, then the measure we give to it will be given back to us plus more in the wisdom of God. It’s a wisdom that does not just appear wise and knowledgeable, but a wisdom that even explains and puts to shame the teachings of the world. It’s a wisdom that gives hope, not despair. It’s a beauty that cannot be compared or matched. It fills our void in a way that will never be wanting for anything else, and it will never be taken away from us unlike the world’s wisdom which will be taken away by force in the end.

Be careful little ears what you hear.

Be careful little ears what you hear.

For the Father up above is looking down in love.

So, be careful little ears what you hear.

Amie Spruiell
5/27/2011