August 16, 2010
Aloha in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
During our time on the beach each day, we met some interesting people as we were walking along or just sitting in our chairs. Some have been easy to get to know while others seemed just a little bit distant. I’m not sure whether they knew how to take these two from the mainland that just wanted to visit.
Two are Paul and Jeri. Jeri was injured in a car accident 28 years ago in North Carolina. Since she lost the use of both legs, Paul brings her to the beach when he can so that she can swim in the ocean. They were so easy to visit with that it seems we had known them for a long time. I helped Paul get her into the ocean once and then get her back out another time.
We truly enjoyed getting to know some of the people that visit the beach daily. But for the most part the people come and went. They were tourists just like us who only had a short time in Maui. Many are dealing with the same things we all deal with in their lives.
As we sat in our chairs or laid on our beach towels, we had opportunity just to listen (please understand that these people were within a few feet of us so we weren’t eavesdropping!!). One day we heard a man visiting about the cost of electricity and how it would eventually impact the economy in Hawai’i. Another person was talking on their cell phone about something that was going on at work.
I began to have ‘just a thought’. Many times through the course of a day we hear the voices of many around us. We hear them talking about the economy, the state of our nation, family issues, and at times even personal issues. These voices are heard by us and can influence our thought processes.
Listening is something that we must do, but we must be careful to which voices we listen. Look what happened to Adam in Genesis 3:17 -- Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. *(emphasis mine) **
Psalm 81:8 says " Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, if you would listen to Me! God wanted the people to listen to Him so that He could admonish (teach) them. Now let’s see what Psalm 81:11 says –“But My people did not listen to My voice, and Israel did not obey Me.
In Mark 4:24 we find these words -- And He was saying to them, "Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.” Luke 8:18-21 Jesus even makes things a little clearer. He says "So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him." 19And His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd. 20And it was reported to Him, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You." 21But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."
In 1 John we find John sharing with the Christian community. In chapter 4 we find him telling them to ‘test the spirits’. But look at 4:4-6. He writes -- 4You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 5They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us by this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”
We hear the voices of this world all around us and many times are drawn away from God by what we hear. Scripture tells us that we are to ‘take care how you listen’ (Luke 8:18a). While it is important for us to pay attention to the voices around us so we can discern where they come from, we must be diligent to listen as God speaks to us.
I don’t know whether others stop to think about the voices they hear through the day, but as Christians we should. We need to be able to ‘test the spirits’ as John exhorted the first century Christians to do. We need to be able to filter out the things of this world and focus on the word that God is speaking to us.
Today you may have heard some things that have placed you on a path that God doesn’t want you to be on. You may be struggling with issues that have arisen because you have listened to the wrong voice. Even now I would urge you to ‘test the spirits’ and ‘take care how you listen’ so that you’ll be able to hear as Holy Spirit speaks to you.
Holy Spirit will speak to you and as you listen, He will always lead you in the path of truth. Children of God will be able to differentiate between the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. One will lead to life eternal and one to death. What are you listening to in your life? It’s ‘just a thought’.
JESUS, JESUS, JESUS, there IS something about that name!!
Christ only, always,
Bro. Paul
