February 13

‘Speak; for Thy servant heareth.’ – 1 Samuel 3:10

                Oswald Chambers points out that just because we have heard listened to God about one thing does not mean we have listened to Him the rest of the time. I suppose that this could best be likened to ala carte devotion.  I have listened to God when it was convenient and ignored Him when it was not. While we’re on the subject, the same could be said for prayer.  As we discussed yesterday, we do not willfully disobey God. We are prone, however to ignoring Him when it is easiest not to listen.

                In addition to listening to God, we should be learning to anticipate what He wants. We do this all the time in regard to our friends. How often have we sent a birthday card, held a hand, or invited a friend out to lunch without being asked first? Jesus said ‘Ye are my friends.’  If this is true, then shouldn’t we also treat our relationship with Him as we would with a friend?  I challenge you, and myself, to listen to God just as we would a friend.

                Perhaps the greatest impediment to listening to God is that of devotion. As Christians, we are devoted to God. However, the reality of our daily existence is that of competing devotions. We are devoted to work, family, hobbies, friends, community projects, etc. There is no way around these competing pulls on our time and attention, nor should there be. God asks us to use our gifts actively, not just sequester ourselves for His sake.

                For my part, I imagine my devotion as this: My devotion to God should be one, unbroken line on a graph. Under this line, running parallel is a series of broken lines. The unbroken line represents my devotion to God, superseding everything else as a steady constant. The broken lines represent the episodic nature of the other things that warrant my attention throughout the day. Each and every broken line deserves my attention, but it should get no more than 90% of what I am capable of giving. 10% of my attention should always be committed to the constant line, in devotion to God.

                Admittedly, this is an ideal to which I aspire but do not always achieve. I recognize my imperfection as a fallen creation and continue to strive to live as Christ lived and to always uphold God’s law.

I’ve said in the past that I feel that the meaning of life on Earth is to come to know Christ and to help others to do the same. It sounds simple on the surface, but in practice it becomes difficult. The other things in my life convolute my devotion and draw my attention away from Him. Yet, He does not leave me. He is always there, whispering in my ear as a friend would. If only I would listen.