Listening and Obeying

 We have a Christian academy that is a ministry of our church. Each year we strive to have the best possible teachers for our students. It is such a blessing to see how God answers our prayers and shows us just the right faculty and staff. However, we still encounter problems along the way to providing an excellent quality Christian education. We have some students who won't listen to what the teacher says, and we have some students who won't listen or obey what the teacher assigns them to do. We work with the parents, but there is nothing we can do if those students don't start listening and obeying.

That is the same problem that God had with the people of Israel. He did all He could do to teach them through sending the prophets to show them what to do. He finally had to admit they were not going to do the right thing. (Hosea 9:17) "My God will reject the people of Israel because they will not listen or obey. They will be wanderers, homeless among the nations." I pray we will all learn a valuable lesson from this verse.

God is revealing Himself to everyone in the world. He shows Himself through creation and because He pours out His wrath against all sin. We know He is there because He speaks to our heart. The problem is that many people are not listening for God and not listening to God when He speaks. They are set on the other things that are going on around them. All the noises of this world drown out the voice of God unless we focus on Him and set aside time to listen. When was the last time you quieted yourself and asked God to speak to your heart through His Word or through prayer?

Then, there are some people who are hearing what God is saying. They go to church. They even read their Bible and pray sometimes. The problem is that they let God's Word go through their mind, but they don't decide to obey what He is saying. It is not enough to want to do right. We have to actually obey what the Bible says and what God is saying to us. If we don't listen and obey, we are not really putting our faith in God. If we live like that, we will wander through life with no direction, and be like homeless people who have no solid foundation for life.

Tomorrow, I intend to read Hosea 10-12.