Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©
But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice."
(John 10:5 (NIV))
Who are you running away from?
In other words, are you more familiar with the world, or are you more familiar with Jesus?
If you have children, you have probably taught them about "stranger danger," and that they should never go with a stranger. Yet, we do the exact thing that we tell our children to never do. We run after things that are dangerous. We run after things that can kill us. We run after things that can cause us eternal pain and suffering.
Do we run after the things of this sinful, fallen world because we recognize them as things that our sinful, fallen nature desires?
Sadly, this is a cycle that humanity has been in ever since the fall from grace in the Garden of Eden. We long to find peace. We long to find comfort. We long to find love, but we look in all of the wrong places. We trust in all of the wrong promises. We believe in the lies of the enemy.
We should be listening for and responding to that still, small voice. You can't recognize anything if you don't spend time in its presence. We recognize the world because we were born into a sinful, fallen world. It is all that we know . . .
UNTIL . . .
Our hearts are softened and we realize that we are a sinner in need of a Savior!
We must take the time to realize one very important thing. We must choose to sit in His presence in order to recognize His voice.
"Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!"
(Psalm 46:10 (ESV))
We must repent and turn to the Lord. We must recognize His authority and choose to follow Him. We must not follow anyone else!
"Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
(John 10:1-4 (NIV))
Are you following the shepherd?
Do you recognize the voice of the Lord?
Copyright 1998 - 2024 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
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