Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age,you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. (1 Corinthians 3:18, NIV)
This week we’ve been listening, doing our best to hear what God has to say about the quality of paying attention to the voices around us. We began with the imperative from James: “Be quick to listen,” recognizing that this practice sets us up to follow the rest of his exhortation: “Be slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19).
We have so far examined the first priority of listening to God, through his Word and by the leading of his Spirit. But what (or who) else should we be listening to? Where should our ears be directed? Here are five good places to “listen up!”
1. Listen to yourself. Chiefly, with today’s passage from 1 Corinthians fresh in our minds, we must listen for lies and justifications. In our quiet moments, are we letting ourselves off the hook, in advance of and in the aftermath of our sin? This is why knowing the Word of God is so important; it allows us to hold our own voice up to the standard of God’s voice. There is no better way to stand against our lies.
But we should also become equipped, as is commonly taught today, to “preach the gospel to ourselves.” That is, we should learn well the biblical truths of grace and forgiveness and speak these truths into our own ears. This too provides a consistent protection against the falsehoods of the enemy, whose very intent is to deceive us.
2. Listen to your spouse. We need to recognize that if our spouse is intimate with God and intimate with us, then they are uniquely positioned by God to speak truth into our lives. We find proverbs lauding both of the wisdom of godly men and of a godly wife. Wisdom makes for great listening!
If your spouse is not a mature believer, or even an unbeliever, listening remains powerful, as it goes a long way in sending the message of “I care about you.” Mercy wins souls.
3. Listen to your children. God, you will recall, places wisdom on the lips of even the smallest children; he may well speak to you directly through them! And again, if your children are older and not walking with Jesus, listen to them; win their hearing by your own.
4. Listen to your friends. Here, of course, we are talking of friends in the Lord, those who can give you “objective” observations alongside their subjective connection to you as another of Jesus’ children. Be sharpened by your haverim—those friends with whom you have agreed to study and consider the Word of God as it is applied to your life. Let them “spur [you] on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24).
But take care. You may need to close your ears to some friends, particularly those who are still in the world and would have you join them in their ventures there. Knowing first the voice of the Lord provides you with the necessary filter for listening to your friends in accordance with the worth of their invitations and advice.
5. Listen to your workers/employer. Scripture points us toward excellence whether we are in charge or being charged. We work heartily for our employers “to win their favor” by working as unto the Lord, not men (Ephesians 6:6-7). And as employers, we are required by the commands of the Lord to treat our workers with justice and understanding. Listening well to those with whom we work enables us to serve them as the Lord himself does.
—
Jeff Hopper
June 20, 2012
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday through Friday at www.linksplayers.com.