Are you one who prefers not to hear what the Lord has to say to you? Do you turn up the music and sleep with the television on rather than take the chance that God just might whisper in your ear and call you to follow Jesus?
I believe that it is the fear of hearing the truth that keeps many who claim to be Christians from gathering with brothers and sisters in Christ for worship weekly (or more often). They just may be afraid that in hearing His Word in the lessons or the preaching or even the hymns they may be called to step out beyond their own desires and follow Jesus.
And... we all know where Jesus leads us. He leads us to the cross. He calls us to die to ourselves so that we might live in him and that he might live and reach out to others through us. There is a great possibility that if we take the time to listen to God rather than the world around us that we might just be asked to make a few changes in our lives and no one really wants to do that.
I know that I have quoted Annie Dillard from her book "Teaching a Stone to Talk" in at least a few of sermons. Well, here it is again. And, yes, maybe we should know that in hearing His Word, God will call us to a place beyond ourselves and when He does we will not be able to return to our old way of living. Yes; indeed, it takes a bit of courage to hear God's Word and actually listen to him.
"It is madness to wear straw hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping God may wake someday and take offense, or the waking God may draw us out to where we can never return." (Annie Dillard)
May God grant us the courage to listen to Him and then to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
God's Peace - Pr. J
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