Scripture reading
My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.
–John 10:27
Thought of the Day
I just spent the weekend with over four hundred sixth graders and adults at Winter Carnival, a conference retreat. It was awesome. The weather was beautiful, the kids were super, the music and speakers were inspiring, and even the food was surprisingly good. (except for the suspicious looking hamburgers on Saturday night). Our theme was Caught by Christ and by the time we left on Sunday, I believe that those sixth graders were beginning to understand what that really means. At worship on Sunday, the preacher did an awesome thing. He was talking about how it must have been to be sitting on the hillsides and listening to Jesus teach and preach. We were in a big auditorium with a big time sound system. It was so easy to hear every word Wayne said. All of a sudden he moved the microphone around to his back and still kept on speaking. It was hard to hear him at first with all the movement from the crowd. It didn’t take long until everyone got still and quiet so to better hear him. We had to listen better. Wayne explained that that is how it was back with Jesus. Instead of four hundred of us, there were over five thousand people all over the place, doing all they could to hear this man called Jesus.
I loved the point that Wayne made by making us really work to listen to him. We had to be still and listen. If you are like me, then you, too, live in a noisy world; a world in which sometimes it is hard to hear God. My advice? Be still and listen.
Prayer
Father, I want to hear you. Amen.