Listening

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand." John 10:27-28

Jesus called himself the Good Shepard. His followers are His sheep. It's sad to think that I call myself a follower of His and yet sheep follow their shepard's voice better than I follow mine.

So many other voices interrupt and I allow them to take precedence: my family, my friends, coworkers, the church, the endless and often negative influences of the media...

Yet if we want to live the life that Christ is calling us to lead, we must listen to Him if we're to know where to go and what to do. His voice is to be followed above all others. Not to say that our friends, family, and others can't help us along the way, but the primary voice we need to be listening to is Christ's.

So then I think: how often am I reading His Word? And will I be able to recognize His voice when He speaks to me? And will I listen to His voice and His commands over all others?

It's a comforting thought to realize that Jesus has promised that we as His followers will never be snatched out of His hand.

But what if it wouldn't take snatching? What if all it takes is me slowly drifting away until one day I find out I no longer recognize the voice of my Shepard? I think it was C.S. Lewis who said, "You are always either moving toward God or away from God." A scary thought considering all the voices that beg for my attention.

Where is my focus? Is it on God and His Word, or is it on the influences and voices of this world?

Where is your focus?