Listen Up!

By MFE

What are we listening to?

There are a lot of voices out there giving us a lot of information, and they often contradict each other. So how do we know which voices to notice or follow? Which voices are worth hearing?

What we listen to makes a difference:

• the commercialism of Christmas or the Christ message
• "I want" or "I'd like to give"
• the problems of the world or the solutions
• competition or opportunities
• disbelievers or prophets
• negativity or optimism
• lack or abundance
• depression or joy
• pain or peace
• reports of sickness or signs of health
• opinions or Truth…?

It boils down to this: Are we listening to the world or to God? What we hear will determine our experience.

If we listen to the world, the messages are mixed. We get good and bad, happy and sad. Mostly, we hear opinions. And opinions are apt to change again and again. So we can't count on opinions. We can't trust what we hear from the world.

If we listen to God, we hear: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness" (Jer 31:3 NIV). We feel the all-presence of God's everlasting love for us. We hear Truth, not opinions. We can trust what we hear.

What a life-changing choice we make when we listen to God with every fiber of our being.

And if we forget to listen to God and listen, instead, to one of the numerous other voices that attempt to pass for "truth" or "good," we don't need to get upset with ourselves. We will have another chance. The awesome truth is that God is always talking to us, so we always have the opportunity to listen and to hear the wonderful blessings God is sharing.