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We must be willing to hear God speak to us. But we
must come to a better understanding of what hearing means. We think we hear
when we hear the words and nod our assent. But that is not really hearing. I’ll
bet you do not let your children get away with that and call it hearing. You
check on their progress and see if the hearing resulted in doing. Your
expectation is that to hear is to obey. And anything less is a failure to hear.
Thus, it is for us as we stand before the Lord. When we say,
“Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth,” we take for granted the fact that
servants do, servants serve, servants follow up on the spoken words.
I have mentioned from this pulpit some areas where some of
you are negligent in doing what the Lord says, things like tithing and more
regular attendance at the Lord’s service. Things that hurt you but you do them,
or fail to do them anyway. But we know that people can tithe and go to church
every Sunday and still be a mess. One area that makes it clear whether we are faithful is in our relationships.
How are your relationships? Is there ongoing and unsettled strife
between husband and wife? Brother and sister? Father and son? Mother and
daughter? Is there a lack of restraint? Are you too harsh on a faithful son,
like Samuel, or too soft on potential Hophni’s? Children, are you like Samuel,
ready to hear and heed the word of your father, even if it comes to you in the
middle of your most selfish times? Relationships measure how we are doing in
this gospel of peace. How are yours?
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