WATCH TODAY’S EPISODE ON YOUTUBE.
CONSECRATION
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
THE WORD OF THE LORD
Proverbs 8:32–36 NIV
“Now then, my children, listen to me;
blessed are those who keep my ways.
Listen to my instruction and be wise;
do not disregard it.
Blessed are those who listen to me,
watching daily at my doors,
waiting at my doorway.
For those who find me find life
and receive favor from the LORD.
But those who fail to find me harm themselves;
all who hate me love death.”
CONSIDER THIS . . .
I studied theology at Asbury Theological Seminary. I took ninety-six credit hours of really strong course material from some of the finest professors in the world. I learned a lot about the Bible, theology, discipleship, church history, evangelism, worship, preaching, spiritual formation, and so on.
My Greek teachers might wince when I say this, but I think the most important course I took was not part of the curriculum. It lasted only a weekend, but it set me on a lifelong course of developing the most significant gift I can give to the world. The short extracurricular workshop was called “Listening for Heaven’s Sake.” It was there that I began the long journey of learning to listen. I had been told many times prior that I should be a better listener. The problem is that no one ever taught me how. It must be learned.
I am here to listen. Almost thirty years later, I am still coming to grips with this most fundamental aspect of my life and work. I am here to listen. Our calling is to listen. We listen to God. We listen to one another. We listen to the cries of the oppressed. We listen to children. We listen to those no one else listens to. We are here to listen.
Wisdom begins with listening. It’s all over the Proverbs. Go back and count the number of times it appears in the short span of today’s text.
I’ll close with a very practical piece of advice. It can be implemented immediately and almost constantly. It is the square one we must keep coming back to again and again and again. There is infinitely more to learn than what I am about to say, all of which will remain unlearned until we learn this first step.
You ready?
Wait for it . . .
Stop talking.
PRAYER
Our Father, you are the God who speaks. Everything you say is worthy of our most intentioned listening. Humble us to learn the way of listening. Teach us to listen. Grace us with the Holy Spirit’s help. Help us find the humility to stop talking. Show us a way of listening that is love. We pray in Jesus’s name, amen.
JOURNAL PROMPTS
Why do people not listen? Do a listening audit today. Pay attention to the listening habits (or lack thereof) of others. Note what you would want to emulate and avoid. How might I become a listener? I am here to listen. What will that mean today?
SING
Today, we will sing “Open My Eyes, That I May See” (hymn 311) from our Seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer’s Praise.
For the Awakening,
J. D. Walt
John David (J. D.) Walt Jr. is the Sower-in-Chief for Seedbed and the pastor of the Gillett Methodist Church in Gillett, Arkansas.
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16 Responses
Listen…Stop talking! I loved today’s lesson. The most important thing I ever learned as a spouse at ATS was listening. I lived in Wilmore with my student husband at that time and needed to get plugged into the community on campus. Joy Moore was the student life Director at the time and began the Stephen’s Ministry on campus. I became involved and went through the training to become a Stevens minister. During that time I was sent with one other person to Baltimore, Maryland to be trained as a Stevens leader. It was all of this training that helped me to become the listener. I am today. I now am an ordain deacon ann elder in the global Methodist Church, and this listening skill has served me well. Thank you for listening to God and giving us Seedbed and the Wake-up Call. Ellaine Hussung (p.s. I was Ellaine Hartman while at ATS. You were attending there at that time also)
I think many people are uncomfortable with empty space; space not filled with words or noise. It’s a need to fill what does not always need to be filled. An example is when we hunger and thirst for satisfaction and fill it with stuff. Lord, help me to be comfortable and still with empty spaces in conversation.
💞
I am convinced that listening is one of the great faults of humanity. We are so busy formulating our reply that we fail to really listen. I/we believe that what we have to share is so important than we just can’t wait to share it even to the point of interrupting the speaker. And I believe we also do this with God – we ask for answers, for direction and for wisdom but we are so impatient and our own words are so important that we fail to listen to the only one who really matters. I think “listen” will be my word for this year and hopefully for all the years to come.
Came across the following about business meetings: why am I talking? Is it worthwhile? Is it appropriate? Why now? How will the person listening accept it? What can be gained if I say nothing? What might be lost if I say too much? Is this the right time/place? Is it on topic? Did someone else say it?
At the same time though some of us are stuck in the fear of speaking at all, when others have a way of controlling the conversations or even controlling the relationship. We feel they are soooo opinionated that they never hear anything we have to say especially if we speak from the discernment of God’s word.
However Donna and Kathryn I do appreciate your thoughts this morning. Wisdom spoken. I am leaning hard to not go the way of my understanding, but towards the Way of the Lord.
I understand this all too well.
WOW! I agree!
Listen to God the Holy Spirit. Hear Him speak directly to your heart. Hear Him speak through the Bible. Hear Him speak through your brothers and sisters in Christ. Train yourself to speak when you are prompted by the Spirit, not just whenever you want to say something.
It’s God’s nature to be supernatural. He supernaturally created the natural world with His words. (Genesis 1:1-31) Now God the Holy Spirit wants His presence and His words to supernaturally flow in and through you as vibrant rivers of living water. (John 7:38-39) Begin to live your daily life attentively listening to and being faithfully obedient to God the Spirit. If you will refuse to stop or slow the flow of His inner voice, He will freely release His gifts and produce His fruit inside of you and around you. Diligently train yourself not to hinder God’s Spirit and not to hold Him back. (1 Thessalonians 5:19)
Pastors and Christian leaders also need the accountability of listening to one another in church instead of being the only person allowed to speak. Perhaps that lack of listening time is why so many fall into or live with sin.
Another Christian leader, bestselling author and speaker, Philip Yancey, has joined the crowd of pastors, priests, and leaders who have admitted to or been caught in blatant sexual sin. He admitted to an 8-year affair during His ministry. If the pastor-focused religious tradition (Mark 7:13) where one person monopolizes Sunday morning services was effective, would sexual sin be rampant among Christian leaders and church attendees?
When will we see that it’s time to return to the body of Christ that Jesus, Himself, wants to build? It’s a gathering where Jesus is the literal Head (not the figurehead) and the Holy Spirit is free to prompt anybody present to speak up in the gathering. (2 Corinthians 5:17) It’s a meeting where people are willing to lovingly and patiently listen to one another as individuals are prompted and led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14) to open up and humbly obey the 50+ New Testament “one another” commandments.
When Alcoholics Anonymous was set up the founders decided to focus on open-sharing meetings where people could listen to one another, instead of on one-speaker-focused meetings. When alcoholics or addicts are faithful to regularly attend those meetings and to open up to, be honest with, and support and hold each other accountable, they experience the freedom of recovery. I believe that if churches would use the open-sharing format, they too would be much more effective at helping people live free from the bondage of sin. Lecture alone isn’t very effective!
I get paid to listen! Active listening is one of the first, and most important skills a person can learn, especially anyone working in ministry. I think it was Augsburger who wrote, “Listening is so akin to caring that most people can’t tell the difference.”
Thank you, J.D. Our church is about ready to begin 21 days of Bold Prayers and fasting. Sunday, the pastor preached on this and included the importance of learning to listen to God and to let him speak into our lives. Your emphasis on listening drives home the point of listening to God. I enjoyed the last two words of
Stop Talking. Sometimes we need to stop talking.
When I listen is when I become teachable.
We don’t listen because of sin. Pride, in the form of ego and insecurity, prevent us from seeking God. Listening begins with prayer and constant prayer is the act of wisdom. Dwelling on God and his word. Interacting with Yeshua in our internal dialogue. Instead of “talking to ourselves “or worrying or “self talking “we engage in and with the savior in real time. I look for him to speak to me and all things, and to share with me the deeper meaning in empathy as others speak. Ask questions for clarity when listening to others. Seek to relate to others with my words. Encourage people in ways that are specific and sincere. We can listen with our words, hearts, minds, posture, as well as our eyes and ears. But it begins with listening to wisdom/Jesus.
Really enjoy waking up with the Sower nation. I would love to join the course, but I am out of work, have no income, but know how much of a blessing this would be.
Please help,
Stop Talking! It is easy for me to listen to people. My God moments are most always with women. I love, I listen, and try to only as I feel God is speaking to me. Probably an A or A+ for that but, the big But, it is so difficult to sit quietly alone to listen for God to speak, as I get distracted so easily. spiritual formation class said, focal point, then listen. Even watching a candle burn or looking at a cross, my mind goes the the flame flicker, the construction of the particular wood or glass or medal…….LISTEN! So difficult with inadament objects. I need eyes, mouths, facial expressions, hands to watch to be able to focus on listening intently. Suggestions appreciated. And: Is Wisdom actually the Holy Spirit? There from the beginnings with God and Jesus?
You finally sang my favorite hymn!🩵🙏🏻👏🙌 Great reminder today!