Hearing voices

There are many voices calling for our attention. We must always be asking ourselves if we are listening to the right voices. In John’s gospel, Jesus says the following:
“I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”
Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (John 10:1-10)
We must always be careful about which voices become the dominant ones in our lives. In my experience, I have witnessed Christians who act in a way they think is appropriate because they have allowed themselves to become used to the wrong voices.
Jesus said, “They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.” Unfortunately, some Christians listen to Jesus’ voice so seldom that it sounds like a stranger’s voice to them.
If we want to be able to follow the voice of God, we must constantly be listening to see what that voice sounds like.
In Colossians 3:16, Paul writes, “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.” It’s not until the message fills us that it becomes a familiar voice.
When my closest friends call me on the phone, I can often tell who it is by the sound of their voice. However, if someone I don’t know well calls, I typically can’t tell who it is.
If our conversations with God are infrequent and brief, we will find it very difficult to know His voice. It may even be that His voice will sound like a stranger. If we want to discover the rich and satisfying life that Jesus talks about in John 10, maybe we better start listening to Him more often so we can tell which voices belong to God and which don’t.

shine!
Jason