Subtitle: Try to do more listening than talking. Examine your recent history and see if there are things you need to be hearing.

Excerpt: Try to do more listening than talking. Examine your recent history and see if there are things you need to be hearing.

Author: Rich Holt

Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Jeremiah 25:3, ” This is the twenty-third year in which I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, but you have not listened. “

Background

Do you think you could ignore something for twenty-three years? Do you remember when we all had VCRs in our homes, and almost every one you would see would be flashing the time ” 12:00 ” because no one could figure out how to set the clock, or cared enough to take the time to do it? Most people just ignored those little flashing red numbers down there below their television to the point of never even noticing them. I tried to get a sense of what it would mean to ignore something for twenty-three years, and then I realized that it was exactly twenty-three years ago this week that I was graduating from college. As long as that seems, I can still vividly remember taking that final exam, wearing the cap and gown, and my dad accidentally erasing the video he took of the ceremony. It was half a life ago, but parts of it feel like it was just last weekend. So what could I have endured and ignored for all these years, from the time I finished school until this very day? Could I have ignored something as insignificant as a flashing clock? How about something more meaningful or relevant? Could I have listened to Jeremiah preach for twenty-three years and not heed his call? Could you? Have you been doing something similar to this? For an amount of time similar to this?

Application

The dangerous part of ignoring is that we become so good at it that we don’t even realize that we are doing it. You hardly notice the clutter in your own home or the rattle in your car, so it’s not much of a leap to tune out the message that God has been trying to get through to you. But ignoring a noise from your car can lead to expensive repairs, and dismissing the clutter of your home robs you of the joy of a simpler calling. And things didn’t turn out too good for those who ignored Jeremiah. God’s judgment on them was unpleasant for seventy years. There’s no telling what may become of your turning a deaf ear to the Lord. There may be more messages, total silence, or something less pleasant. So don’t let this year turn into last year. He has risen and is speaking, so you may want to listen.

Charge

As we seek Him today, try to do more listening than talking. Examine your recent history and see if there are things you need to be hearing.

Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words