Don’t Mute God's Word

Anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.

Matthew 7:26

We have a habit of muting television commercials at our house unless they are genuinely funny. Sometimes we take a few minutes to interact with one another about what we just watched. But most of the time, we’re just thankful for the moment of silence because the commercials are just too loud!

The crazy thing is that I just learned that this amplification is intentional. Advertisers increase the decibels on purpose, calling it—of all things—“sweetening.” (Now one of my favorite words has gone sour!) Sweetening is one way the advertisers hope to get our attention and sell more products. Well, they received consumers’ attention all right. There were enough complaints that the FCC established new rules in December 2012 requiring TV stations and paid providers to limit a commercial’s average volume—it cannot be louder than the program itself.

Creating noise that’s hard to ignore is one way to get attention. But sometimes soft-spoken simplicity speaks volumes in a powerful way. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:26 that to ignore what He says is foolish, like building a house on sand. If you’ve ever built a sand castle on the beach, you know exactly what Jesus is referring to. After all your hard work, the waves roll in and—whoosh!—in less than a minute, your masterpiece is washed completely away.

If we ignore God’s quiet counsel, we face the danger of falling apart, unprepared for any challenging circumstance that may engulf us. If we don’t tap into His strength, we can be dragged into even rougher waters, get in way over our thick heads, and will probably get seasick.

God already sees the beginning, middle, and end of every situation we face. He knows when the waves will roll over us, and He knows how to shore us up to weather them. But we need to pay attention. He can shout if it’s in our best interest, but more often it is His consistent, quiet voice speaking through His Word.

Don’t mute what God says through His Word. Take it to heart, and in His strength, do what He says. That’s true “sweetening”!