Conclusion
Love God. Love others. Listen to God. Listen to others.
For the past forty days of devotion, we have done exactly that. By developing our listening skills, we are better equipped to fulfill the greatest command (Matt. 22:34-39).
And since you have worked for forty days to create a new habit, don’t stop now! You are well equipped to continue your devotion to listening to God and listening to one another. For me, personally, my renewed commitment to listening can be summed up in the following two phrases, which I have repeated consistently over the past six weeks:
“Speak for your servant is listening.”
“I’m listening to the still, small voice.”
I still find it a struggle to listen. The noise of life invades my thoughts, even as I first awaken. C.S. Lewis* put it this way:
The real problem of the Christian life comes where people do not usually look for it. It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in. And so on, all day. Standing back from all your natural fussings and frettings; coming in out of the wind.
We can only do it for moments at first. But from those moments the new sort of life will be spreading through our system: because now we are letting Him work at the right part of us. It is the difference between paint, which is merely laid on the surface, and a dye or stain which soaks right through.
My prayer for you specifically is that the things you have heard over the past forty days not be like a white-washed coating of paint. Rather, may what you have heard soak deep into your soul, transforming your heart, renewing your mind, and filling you with strength.
Love God. Love others. Listen to God. Listen to others.
Thanks for joining us on this listening journey. I can’t wait to hear what God does in our lives from this point forward as we continue to listen!
*Mere Christianity
We would love to hear from you! Please share with us what you are hearing and how you are growing in your devotion to listening.
This blog post is taken from the book Called to Listen: Forty Days of Devotion. To order a copy of this book, please visit our website and invite a friend to participate in the study with you. The book includes additional guides and questions to be reviewed in a small group context weekly.