“You’ve seen a lot, but looked at nothing. You’ve heard everything, but listened to nothing.” Isaiah 42:20 MSG My oldest daughter is at that age where she talks a lot, and I mean a lot. She has slowly morphed from a shy, timid little girl into a social, chatty butterfly.…
1 Kings 3:9 MSG “Here’s what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?” Right before Solomon made this request, God appeared to him in…
“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him . ” (Psalm 37:7, ESV) Are you a good listener? Sometimes we mistake hearing as being the same as listening. We may use the words interchangeably, but there is a difference. Hearing is the perception of sound. Listening involves understanding the…
James 1:22 NLT “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” I have two young children, so speaking to them and not truly being heard is a frequent occurrence in my home. They are busy, active children who have…
Leviticus 22:31 MSG “Do what I tell you; live what I tell you. I am God.” I’ve always considered myself to be a great listener, but I now realize that I was merely hearing what was being said, and not sincerely listening. There is a profound difference between the two, one is habit,…
Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised. (Song of Solomon 8:7, ESV) Some of the most valuable things in life cannot be bought with money: respect, loyalty, trust, wisdom, happiness, true…
“Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!” (Psalm 81:13 KJV) The more I am around children, the more I use the word “listen.” When I teach: Please listen. Listen carefully. Listen to the instructions. Look at me and listen. I have learned…
“But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you.” (Luke 6:27 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible) In essence, Jesus was saying, “Listen up!” While reading this passage today, I was reminded of a time I was trying to…
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20 Holy Bible King James Version)
I ran my fingers along the left and right arrows next to “Open Here” on the translucent cover of a ream of printer paper. I twisted and poked. Nothing budged. In my frustration, I dropped the package. When I picked it up, my hands were on the opposite end. Another set of similar arrows and instructions: Open Here. When I touched the sealed place, the package opened immediately. There was no need to search for a sharp instrument to cut the cover when I found the right place—the door—to success.
If you can’t find Jesus, maybe you’re looking at the wrong end of things. Maybe you’re overanalyzing. When you hear His voice, open the door. He will take charge after that.
Prayer: Thank You Lord for knocking on my door. Welcome. Amen.
Devotion by Violet Carr Moore