A Familiar Voice

Scripture – John 10:1-6: “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.

Observation – (Write down what you see in the scripture.) How do I recognize Jesus’ voice? I am committed to following Him – to letting Him be the guiding, over-riding influence in my life. Yet with so many noises and voices around me, how do I pick out His? A big part of it for me is personal experience. I have learned, for example, to recognize my wife’s voice. I can tell a lot about how she’s feeling just from the sound of her voice. We’ve been together long enough that it’s just become natural. Sometimes there’s so much going on around us that I need to focus and really tune in to hear what she’s saying. And so it is with Christ. I can move along knowing that He’s speaking without really hearing what He’s saying. Just knowing His voice is not the same as following His direction.

Application – (Write how you will be different today because of what you have just read.) I will listen carefully today – not just for the sound of His voice, but for the directions He has for me.

Prayer – (Write out a brief prayer.) Lord, thank you for being so present in my life – for being such a familiar presence. Forgive me for the times I take you for granted and don’t really pay attention. Open my ears and my heart today to follow you.