Wednesday... I just know He does and I love it!

When you are talking to someone can you tell if they are listening, really listening? You can tell many times if they are listening to you by what they say when you quit talking. I know, I know, we can do many things at the same time but listening is something that takes focus. And we love it when we realize that someone is really listening. It shows that we matter to them, that they care.

The writer of Psalm 116:1-2 (MSG) says, "I love God because he listened to me, listened as I begged for mercy. He listened so intently as I laid my case before him," Now God is the only one who can have all these people at the same time talking to Him but He can and He does listen so intently.

The Amplified Bible puts it this way. "I love the Lord, because He hears [and continues to hear] my voice and my supplications, (my pleas, my cries, my specific needs.) Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live."

Now He listens when we thank Him, He listens when we praise Him and He listens when we ask Him. He also hears our motive, our heart, our devotions, our dependency, our love for Him.

And that is what a relationship is all about. We also need to listen to what He is saying to us. And He does speak to us. But it usually is the still small voice. So we too must listen intently to what He is saying to us. And we need to pray that He will open our ears to hear.

Listening, really listening shows we care. And He really does care. The NLT says, "I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!" Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Comments

Tuesday... I wonder what would happen if we didn't take the credit?

Nehemiah 6:16b (NLT), "They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Tuesday... I wonder what would happen if we didn't take the credit? Over in the Old Testament in the book of Nehemiah it tells of a major task that through the leadership of Nehemiah was accomplished. The walls of Jerusalem had been torn down and God had laid it on Nehemiah to build those walls back up. It was definitely an almost impossible task but Nehemiah 6:15-16 says, "So on October 2 the wall was finished - just fifty-two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Now, we so many times want to take credit for doing the impossible. It would make such a difference for us. But I wonder what would happen through us if God got the credit? Psalm 96 tells us what we are to do. Verses 2-3 says, "Sing to the LORD; praise his name. ...

Tuesday... We just have trouble listening.

1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT), "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." Tuesday... We just have trouble listening. Over in Jeremiah 25:4 (NLT) it says, "Again and again the LORD has sent you his servants, the prophets, but you have not listened or even paid attention." And Jeremiah went on to tell what was going to happen. There will be consequences if we do not listen to what God says through his Word. Now the Apostle Paul over in 1 Corinthians was having a problem with some professed Christ followers who were having trouble at listening. And we too can have problems at listening. We can think that being a Christ follower means we do a lot of finger pointing and we give up on people who don't do what we say. We can even do that in our families. But Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT), "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." In verse ...

Thursday... Yet, now this is true.

Colossians 1:22a (NLT), "Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body." Thursday... Yet, now this is true. Now Paul a prisoner in Rome is writing a letter to a church in Colossae. And in Colossians 1:21 (MSG) he says, "Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds" The NLT says "This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated by your evil thoughts and actions." And that is where so many in this world live today. They are blowing it and they don't know what to do. Yes, they are hostile in their minds and they are engaging in evil deeds but there is Good News. Now Paul in verses 19-20 sets the stage for an answer to those who don't want to live that way. He says, "For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and earth b...

Today's Beginning

Search This Blog