Attentive Ears

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says. To the one who is victorious Jesus will give life.

“The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare...the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.” And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli...A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times...Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something...The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up...he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.” 1 Samuel 3:1-21

Samuel did not know how to hear the voice of the Lord. Is it surprising that Samuel thought that it was Eli talking and could not recognize God's voice? How well do you recognize God's voice? God kept calling until Samuel answered. He did not raise His voice, He was patient and persistent until Samuel personally heard Him. The turning point of Samuel's life came when learned to hear God's voice and have a heart to serve. Could that be the turning point of ours?  

Do you have ears to hear and a heart to respond?  Jesus says I call to my sheep and my sheep know my voice. In a world with so much information, constant distraction, and competing voices can you hear the voice of Jesus? Have you ever tried listening to two people at once? It is a fool's errand. We have to choose which voice we listen to if we want to truly hear. In this moment, right now, Jesus is calling you. Do you have ears to hear? Ask Jesus what He wants you to know and what He wants you to do. Ask Him who He calls you and what He has for you today.

“I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself. The heavens praise your wonders, Lord, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones. Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord. They rejoice in your name all day long; they celebrate your righteousness. For you are their glory and strength, and by your favor you exalt our horn.”

Psalms 89:1-2, 5, 8, 14-17 

God has given you a voice today.  What will come out of your mouth? Will you sing of the love of the Lord forever? Where has God given you love that is worthy of praise? Will you praise his holy name? The text said that the Lord did not let any of Samuel's words fall to the ground. How many of our words are meaningless? God wants to show us a better way to use the gift of our voices. What does that mean to you? Are you careful about what comes out of your mouth? 

The Bible says blessed are those who acclaimed you and learn to walk in the light of your presence. The song says for You are their glory and strength.  Do you want to experience the glory of the Lord? Do you want to be strengthened today? Truth tells us first praise God and learn to walk in the light of his presence. What does it mean to you to acclaim God? You will be strengthened as you sing then there is an action step of walking out a life that is full of the presence of God.

“I saw the tears of the oppressed and they have no comforter...And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Fools fold their hands and ruin themselves. Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Ecclesiastes 4:4-5, 9-12 

Solomon shared some deep insights about how to live well. He says be careful about the source of your motivation. He gives us a warning about allowing envy to be the voice you listen to that drives you to do what you do. Are you envious of anything someone else has? How does envy impact your heart?

There is a tension because we were made to live in community, but not covet the things that others have. Solomon said that it's not good to do life in isolation.  We are meant to be connected to each other and we all should recognize how we are influenced by the people we spend the most time with each day. How would you describe your community and connection to others?

God has said that it is not good for me to be alone. We were made to live in community and that we grow stronger together. One of the best ways to hear. God's voice can be through walking with other believers, but be careful who has voice in your life. When you walk with people who love the Lord and follow his ways, you will find you cannot be quickly broken. You can endure the storm as you stand together. One way to discern who is a good person to walk with you on your discipleship journey is by looking at the fruit of their life. Is Jesus producing fruit in someone's life that you know that you would like to learn from? God wants you to have eyes that see good fruit others have that is in alignment with His will as He will get the glory when you get what you want as you walk with them.

“The word of the Lord came to me: Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jozadak. Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’ Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord, and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the Lord your God.” Zechariah 6:9, 11-15

The scriptures all point to Jesus. He is the righteous branch. He becomes the vine that feeds our lives as we remain with Him. The text says that he is clothed with Majesty and sitting on the throne.  What would happen if every day we elevated Jesus as our Lord and King? What if we started each day singing his praises and listening to him speak? 

Jesus reigns as our King and our priest. His voice is not just instruction, He is the revealed Word who reveals God's word to us. Jesus is both the message and the model of listening. He shows us that true authority and fruitfulness come from hearing God. What happens when we hear God? He guides us to start building the temple. You become a temple of the Holy Spirit where you hear God's voice from within your very soul as you learn to hear.

“You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer...Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it. To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— I will also give that one the morning star. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says" Revelation 2:3-29

Repetition matters because it reinforces the point that is most important more clearly. Jesus says whoever has let them hear. The one who is victorious I have a blessing upon blessing for you.  What do you want? Do you want to hear God's voice? Do you want to do it as well? Do you want the blessing he has in store for you? 

Jesus is speaking to the people who are faithful and he says you all have things that you need to repent from. You have habits that you picked up in the world, you have things that you have left undone, you have not been perfect. He doesn't tell you to repent to punish you. 

He tells you to repent so that you might find the life he has for you. He says that he has a crown for you, he has hidden manna for you, he has a new name that is written on a white stone. He says that he has authority that he wants to give you if you're willing to listen to him and obey what he says.  What good is listening if you hear but not do? 

Listening is the dividing line between those who are faithful and those who are not. The Spirit is always speaking. The life that flourishes is the one that slows down enough to recognize His voice, trusts and responds, and lives in wise community. Listening leads to obedience and a life aligned with the purposes of God. The most powerful prayer we can pray today is the one Samuel spoke before he even knew how to hear. Jesus speak. Speak to me. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.