We live in a world with “thousands of voices and all kinds of distractions”…all of which, are trying to push their own agenda. Distractions are “everywhere to be found!”
Are You Listening? Can you hear me, now? We live in a time with more “distractions” then ever…
And we seemingly love it that way… keep me entertained …because quietness equals boredom in many people’s minds…
Let there be a few moments of silence and out comes our little distraction boxes…our cell-phones…
Google/Alexa/Siri, Entertain me!
There is an old saying, “knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.”
If we want to be “wise and listen,” then “who” we listen to “becomes vital!” It is critical, it is important!!!!
Shouldn’t “the voice” that we listen to – be like the voice of “all knowledge and all reason?” Or, is it just me?
You know…
The “same voice” that spoke “all that we know” into existence…
The “same voice” that spoke throughout the Hebrew Bible and spoke-the-very first laws-in-place that our “legal system” is based upon…
Then, …sent his Son to speak and to demonstrate in the flesh, his compassion and his love for all of us.
That was “quickly followed” by the sending of the Holy Spirit to be an “indwelling voice” that gathers, guides calls and enlightens us!
God has had “a lot to say” over the thousands of years of humankinds’ existence.
And, he is still speaking to us today, but we have to take care “who” has our ear, and whom we listen to and which voices we hear…
As demonstrated “very early on in human existence,” listening to the “wrong voice” can be something pretty disastrous… You know listening to the snake in the garden, didn’t really work out too well for us, did it?
Today…we have all kinds of “false voices” screaming for our attention from every possible direction and device…
In our Gospel text for this evening…we find…the Jews gathered around Jesus, saying to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, just tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you would not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for themselves, but you do not believe because you are not “my sheep.”
“The road” that leads to heaven is narrow because there is “only one voice out of thousands” that is giving out the correct directions and the correct information on how best to navigate “the road called life.”
Today, it is easy to find “any number of voices” that will lead you “anywhere you want to go” and “help you feel good about it, all at the same time.”
Be careful what voices you allow to speak to your life.
People it would seem, long to be happy and they will listen to any voice that makes them think or feel more content…no matter how momentary it is.
“Happiness” is something people will go to great lengths in pursuit of…
The entertainment industry invests millions and millions of dollars because people will spend billions more for a few minutes of happiness…we love to be entertained!
People will walk away from spouses, children, jobs and commitments, leaving destruction in their wake with no reason other than the words, “I’m not happy!”
Happiness is based on all sorts of things…and it really is something quite personal…
Not a lot of people look for happiness “within,” instead they look for something or someone “outside of themselves” to make them happy. That’s a pretty tall order!
They simply look in the wrong places! God created us with the capacity to be filled with “real Joy.”
The Bible mentions “joy” or “rejoicing” 330 times. • But it only mentions “happiness” 26 times.
“Happiness” depends upon what happens to you. So if all the circumstances are just right, then you can ultimately be happy. But happiness is also fleeting…
Joy (on the other hand) comes from the inside. “Joy” can be there – even in the midst of difficult times and surmounting problems…
I think that’s because God’s people were meant to be “a joyful people.” Thousands of distracting voices will scream at you – that they know “the way to happiness…” But I only know of one voice that says, “Follow me” and I will lead you into joy!
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. You can know “that voice.” To know “that voice” is to love the Lord your God. It is the voice you were meant to follow. It is the voice of the creator-God.
You can learn to pull “that voice” out of a crowd. It is the voice of “the one” that laid down his life for you. And trust me “that voice” will never quit on you, he will keep on calling to you…because he loves you that much. Listen to him.
Amen.