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And He Himself gave some to be....evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ...
- Ephesians 4:11-12

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Location: The Hill Country of Texas

Pastor - Providence Reformed Baptist Church
Director - TIME in the Word Ministries

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

His Voice

TIME in the Word - DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Verse for the Day: John 10:3a
To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice;

Daily Scripture Reading: Galatians 3

The Puritan Catechism
Question #2 - What rule has God given to direct us how we may glorify him?

Devotional Thoughts
Today, I want to focus on this small part of the verse we are looking at, the part about the sheep hearing His voice. John has already recorded the fact that Jesus said that the shepherd entered the sheep fold by the door - those who would come through or around the walls were obviously there for other reasons than to help or feed the sheep! But the paid hireling or doorkeeper would let the shepherd in through the door to tend the sheep in the pen. Some would be tired or hurt or sick, or just in need of some love and attention. The shepherd entered and the great thing was that He talked to His sheep and the sheep heard His voice! As we continue in this verse tomorrow we will see other aspects of the shepherds care, but for now let's just look at the sheep hearing His voice.

The shepherd talks to His sheep. To some there are words of comfort, to others they are words of humor, fun, or encouragement. To some of the sheep, the words needed are soft and gentle, but to others they are energetic and motivating. Some might need scolding. Some healing. But through it all, no matter the words that the shepherd speaks they are all words of LOVE!

Jesus has for us today the words we need. Whether words of discipline or words of praise. Encouragement, motivation, inspiration, tender care, healing, relief. Words of hope, joy, peace, or excitement. He has the words we need for whatever we will face today. He knows the trials and the battles - the failures and the victories. He is very aware of our every need.

Today, He is speaking to us His sheep. Do you hear His voice? Or is the noise of work or family, responsibilities or "priorities" drowning out His voice? Can you hear Him? He IS talking to you right here in His Word! If there is anything that is louder to us than His voice then we need to re-adjust our receiver! His voice should always be present, comforting, guiding, healing, encouraging, and if it is not present then we must lay all else aside until we hear Him!

If Jesus is talking to you don't you want to hear what He has to say? So how do you listen? Listen through the routines of life. Listen through the storm for the calm. Above all else, just listen to His Word. He speaks and the sheep hear His voice - we need to hear Him whenever He chooses to talk through the Word or prayer, another Believer or circumstances. LISTEN.

That is the true key - He is talking so we must make AN EFFORT to listen. We must strive to hear Him no matter what other noise we encounter. His words are the words of life. They open doors (or close them), they heal and lift up, they make us ready and willing to fight for truth and to obey His commands! Whatever you do today - STOP AND LISTEN! Listen for His voice throughout the day. And if you don't hear Him - STOP!!!!! Really. Stop and listen. Get away from the noise and confusion of life and tell Him you want to listen (just like Samuel in the Old Testament - "speak Lord").

When He is with us (always) He talks to us. His Word can even be hidden in our heart to protect us from the danger of sin! I wonder what He has said that we have missed because we weren't listening? Make the effort - make the time - listen to the shepherd today. He loves talking to His sheep through His Word!


Bible Reading For Further Study

Recommended Songs for Worship

BONUS - The Treasury of David
by Charles H. Spurgeon
Psalm 23
(It is recommended that the reader take a small section of this work each day and meditate on the truths gleaned from Holy Scripture - today focus on the sections on verse 3).

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