Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” (1 Sam. 3:10)
LISTENING IS AN UNDEVELOPED ART for many people. We have one mouth and two ears. You would think we would understand that we should listen more than we talk.
Jim Bishop was a popular writer, columnist, and author. He once said that one of his pet peeves was people who ask you how you are but don’t listen to your answer. He knew one man was a repeat offender in this regard, so Jim decided to test him.
When the man phoned Jim one morning, he began the conversation as usual with: “Jim, how are ya?”
Jim answered, “I have lung cancer.”
“Wonderful. Say, Jim . . .”
Bishop proved his point about how poor a listener the man was.
How are your listening skills? Let me ask it a different way: how well do you listen to God? Someone might say, “God never talks to me.”
Really? Are you sure you’re listening? It’s awfully easy to become so caught up in all that is going on that we really don’t take time to listen for God’s voice. You know, that still, small voice that speaks to our inner consciousness.
Of course, you may not want to hear what He has to say. But that’s when you need to listen most carefully. The message may save your life—and your soul.
Read God’s Word today and listen for His personal message for you.
Ron McClung lives in Fishers, Indiana, with his wife Carol. He has written his weekly column, Positive Perspective, for more than twenty-nine years.
© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
