Devotional: Listening carefully
Apostolic Faith Church - Tuesday, October 4th, 2011 at 6:44 AM
“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” - 1 Timothy 4:16
After picking wild mushrooms about twelve miles out of town, I was driving toward home. Then a vehicle I had just passed pulled alongside of my van on the freeway and held up a sign in the window that said, “You have a tire that is going flat.” I waved a gesture of thanks to them, and they moved on down the road.
I pulled over and saw that I still had some air in the tire, so I prayed and began to drive toward the dealership that services my tires. Then I remembered that early that morning, as I was leaving my driveway, I had heard a little sound. I had assumed it was a piece of gravel stuck in my tire, so I continued on my way to pick mushrooms.
When I arrived at the tire store, they repaired my tire and informed me that I had picked up a nail and had a slow leak. What I had thought was the sound of gravel when I left my driveway was, indeed, the metallic sound of a nail.
I have tried to glean a lesson from the incident: first of all, I am going to listen a little closer to those sounds my tires make while I am driving. I am sure that will save me a lot of trouble, and it could prevent a serious accident.
Secondly, I saw a spiritual lesson. There are always warning signs that occur if something in my heart is spiritually amiss, and I want to make sure I am listening carefully for those cues as well. The Holy Spirit is faithful to speak to me, sometimes through a minister or a friend, through Scripture, or through a tugging at my conscience. The sooner I heed His warnings, the easier it is to fix whatever is wrong and the less likely it will become a spiritual crisis.
The focus verse tells us that if we will take heed to follow the doctrines of the Bible, we will be saved. God’s Word requires us to listen not only with our ears, but with our hearts, and not only to hear, but to do what we have heard. As we make ourselves sensitive to His voice and obey the instruction He gives, we have the assurance of a safe journey through this life that will one day end in Heaven
Copyright 2013 BVI News, Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
Post a Comment