“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27, NLT)
Don’t ask me how I got the job, but I’ve become a travel coordinator many times in recent years. Maybe it goes all the way back to the days when I was an airline attendant on long international flights. Whether driving or flying, it’s fun to get away from home and spend time with others.
Everything is a little harder this summer, though, as so many people are traveling again. So when one my most recent groups was made up of seven golfers all coming from different airports and arriving at different times, there was one essential thing we needed to do: communicate! Text was better than email because it’s more immediate, but the best option was often the good old-fashioned phone call. Until we arrived. Then what we all enjoyed most was face-to-face conversation.
Over the past year, we have all learned to use Zoom and other video connections. In fact, this kind of technology allowed for some extra advantages in our Links Fellowships, especially for people with homes in two cities, or those who had moved away. But it’s just not the same as talking with others in person.
The same is true when it comes to God. We can read books and listen to pastors, and these might faithfully tell us what God says. But Jesus said that we are his sheep and we will hear his voice, enabling us to really follow him. It’s always best to hear from God himself.
You may need to change things in many parts of your life, but if your spiritual ears are open, God will show you what those are and direct your steps.
Not long ago, two of my grandsons were baptized into the family of God. That made this Papa proud! Before, when my grandsons were not following Jesus, they would tell lies. They knew it, but they wouldn’t fess up until we told them that we knew it, too. Kids aren’t as “innocent” as we like to think! Like you and me, they sin and fall short. Slowly, they began to understand this. Then they gave their hearts to Jesus and I began to see a real difference in them. The Holy Spirit would convict them of what they were doing wrong. I would ask them, “Does Jesus believe you are speaking the truth?” They know now that their lies are heard by God, and they admit it. Jesus draws the truth out of them.
Maybe you have never connected to Christ in a way that allows you to hear his voice. If this is true, you may have to ask yourself a question first: “Am I his sheep? Am I really saved?”
When you give your life to Jesus and are saved, you will begin to “hear” things you’ve never heard before. The Holy Spirit—through many avenues, including Scripture, preaching, and his own voice to your heart—will speak to you. He will lead you to not by guilt and obligation but by nearness and friendship. You may need to change things in many parts of your life, but if your spiritual ears are open, God will show you what those are and direct your steps.
Finally, notice that Jesus said he knows his sheep. And he loves his sheep so much that he laid down his life for us. This is how you can trust that he has the best for you in life—maybe not the easiest or the finest in a worldly sense, but the best. Are you ready to hear him tell you what this is?
—
Dereck Wong
July 12, 2021
Copyright 2021 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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