Only Listen to the RIGHT Voices!

I did my flight training at a small airport in Cleveland, OK. Getting my pilot’s license was my husband’s idea. Since we often flew cross country with our children on board, he felt it important that I should, at least be able to land the plane….just in case the unthinkable happened to him. He was an extremely conscientious pilot, so very thorough, and did everything according to flight regulations. He took no chances. I think he was prouder for me than I was of myself when I did my first solo flight. My instructor was the best around, and it was easy to listen and follow any instructions he gave me. He’d coach me when flying with me, and, from the radio while I would be performing a solo flight. On one of my “touch and go” training days (that’s when you repetitively land the plane and take off again), my husband got on the airport radio (mind you, this was a very small airport) and was pressing upon me to use flaps (they’re on the wings of the plane and they increase the angle of descent for landing, and they slow the aircraft down). Not having practiced landing with flaps without my instructor, I was uneasy about going for it, but I did. And, listening to the WRONG voice coach me, I didn’t account for the slower speed and I barely landed on the runway, AND I took out several runway lights along the way. Thanks be to God, the plane and I survived, but not without incident. Though gentle, my instructor scolded me for listening to a voice, other than his. He knew what I was capable of handling and what I had been adequately trained for, and a landing using full flaps wasn’t one of them.

We have to do much the same thing where the voice of God is concerned. If I’m going to follow the instructions He gave in Proverbs 4:20 “My son (or daughter), attend to my words, incline your ear to my sayings”, I must always be tuned in to what He’s saying to me. I must be continually listening for HIS words…..and none other. In life, just as in the cockpit, that’s not always easy. There are all kinds of voices out there making a lot of noise. But I’m determined not to let them distract me, because God’s voice is the only one I really need to hear. His words are the only ones that can provide a beautiful and abundant life,,,,,and a perfect landing. Other voices can lead me to destruction – His voice is the one to follow!

His Sheep Listen to His Voice

Funny cartoon -- but, the message is clear and VERY real to our lives. Jesus said, "My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:" (John 10:27) . Wonder if He had in mind how difficult "listening for His voice" would be in 2014? And, more than ever, we really need to hear His voice. We need His wisdom, comfort, guidance, peace, and direction. Of course, we long to hear His voice, but in the busy-ness, the clamor and the many, many activities and distractions of everyday life, oftentimes, we may be hard-pressed to find that quiet PLACE where we can go for solace, rest and peace, and hear the voice of our Shepherd. And, even when we manage to find that place, "noise" -- our cell phones, iPods, radios, computers, TV, etc. -- keeps us distracted from hearing our Shepherd's voice.

Seems that it's time to find that place where His voice comes through loud and clear to us. Oh, He has that place -- and we can find it, but it's up to us, to disregard the distractions to "Be still -- to hear and know our God." And, I'm not referring to a far off island in the middle of no-where. It's possible to find that place, if only for a few minutes in our day, to "Come away with Him"!

What if everything we're needing -- the decisions we need to make, like, what job should we take; what school our kids should go to; what diet or fitness routine we should be on; what part of town we should live in, etc. All of these answers, and more, are found and answered by our Shepherd -- He Who knows everything about everything. After all, if...."The Lord is my Shepherd, He promised, I would never want......", then maybe we need to "tune-in" to our Shepherd, and "tune-out" what's NOT!

We Will Change the World

What a Motley Crew the disciples were. There's Peter -- one minute he was walking on water by faith, and the next, he was sinking in doubts. He was impulsive, emotional, and, then His worst failure was denying Jesus. And, then there’s Matthew, a dishonest tax collector. And, you gotta’ love Thomas who, to this date, is known as “doubting Thomas". But, then....old things passed away. Peter became a bold evangelist/missionary and one of the greatest leaders of the early church. Matthew heard Jesus words, “Follow me”, and he left everything and obeyed. His eyewitness account, is the first Gospel of the New Testament. And, I love that Thomas, though he initially doubted the resurrection, became a man of great faith. He found the truth and also became a great evangelist and missionary. Yes, they changed the world.

And here we are 2,000+ years later -- do you see in this photo how Jesus is pointing His finger at you and me? Though this is a photo and script from "The Bible Series", the message is clear….God is calling US to change our world, also. Though we may have hang-ups, fears, doubts, and other character flaws, and even, like Peter, deny our Lord by our actions, the transforming power of Christ can change US from being a member of the Motley Crew to dynamic and devoted followers of Christ. Like Peter, Matthew, Thomas, and the millions of others throughout the ages.....let's heed the call, and do our part. Could it be that's why God put us here, at this time, to carry on the message, and be a WORLD CHANGER, too?