June 25, 2013
Hebrews 1:1-2 — God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Who do you listen to? I don’t mean what’s your favorite music, or political commentator, or even (necessarily) devotional writer. I mean, when it comes to forming your views about things that matter in life, and deciding who you are and how you feel about yourself … then, who do you listen to?
If you’re anything like me, sometimes you’re listening to the wrong voices. Sometimes in the Bible we find references to those with “ears to hear”. There always seem to be two senses. One is “if you are the sort of person that listens to the right things, this is a good time to listen” end the other is “I’ve got something important to say … so listen”. And in Isaiah 32:3 and Matthew 11:15 there seems to be a special context of “Are you going to receive God’s Word”? That’s the point. In the past, God spoke in many different ways, through the prophets, to His people. In the Church Age God speaks through His Word – His Son, who has provided us a Helper — the Holy Spirit. That means we don’t need to take our primary guidance from:
- Negative voices from our past
- Rumors
- Social media sites (I love Facebook too, but it’s not how I form my worldview, decide who I am, and decide how I feel about myself!)
- Friends (unless they are pointing to scripture)
- News media
- … or any other “false prophets”!
I found a great comment on this issue on the “Focus on the family” web site … “A biblical worldview is based on the infallible Word of God. When you believe the Bible is entirely true, then you allow it to be the foundation of everything you say and do. That means, for instance, you take seriously the mandate in Romans 13 to honor the governing authorities by researching the candidates and issues, making voting a priority.” (http://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/christian_worldview/whats_a_christian_worldview.aspx)
That’s it. There is only one voice. The voice is the Word, the Word is the voice … and if you take that on board, here’s a few things that the voice has to say about you (assuming you’re a born-again Christian) – you are adopted by God, you are a little less than angels, you are victorious, you can do anything in Christ Jesus who strengthens you …
Open your ears!