The Art of Listening

July 1

Listen to advice and accept instruction.

Proverbs 19:20

Gary’s patience was being tested. His young trainee continually interrupted

his instruction, trying to finish Gary’s sentences. Yet each time he spoke out

of turn, he found himself embarrassed as Gary showed him the error in his

assumptions.

“Look, Bobby, I know you’re intelligent,” Gary began. “But every time you

interrupt, you display an inability to listen to instruction, and you extend the

length of this training session. Please listen and hold your responses and ques-

tions until we complete each phase. All right?”

“I’m sorry, sir. I just get kinda nervous in these situations. I want you to

know I’ll be able to handle whatever you give me to do. I don’t want to upset

you. I really want this job and want to impress you. I guess that was a crash and

burn effort.”

“Look, Bobby,” Gary confided, “we don’t mind training someone who is

willing to learn. That type of person takes instruction well. And that’s who

we’re looking for.”

“I understand. If I promise to listen, will you give me another chance?” he

asked, his countenance showing he meant what he said.

Gary was sensitive to the young man’s uneasiness. “Sure, Bobby. It’s under-

standable that you’re a little bit nervous. But in the future … I suggest you train

yourself to listen. You’ll learn a lot more.”

h

Listening is a discipline. Bobby is not unique. We’ve all spoken out of turn only

to find out we were wrong. It’s easy to want to showcase our experience. But in

our eagerness to succeed, we can speak when we should be listening. A willing-

ness to show ourselves teachable is far more attractive than continually trying

to outguess or impress someone.

Active listening is the art of controlling our emotions and our tongue,

trading our silence for knowledge we might not possess. Failure to listen robs

us of vital knowledge that may benefit us in the future. It also shows us as

immature and impulsive. It is better for us to remain silent and be thought a

fool than to open our mouths and confirm it.

Prayer

“Help me learn to listen, Lord. Still my tongue and

open the ears of my heart. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Life’s Roller Coasters

June 30

Great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds.

Jeremiah 32:19

“How’ve you been, Oren?” Tyrel said as he hugged his friend, eager to catch up

on what had happened since they’d last seen each other.

“Good,” Oren responded. “But it’s been a little disappointing. I recently

lost an opportunity to expand my business. I met with a new investor several

times, and everyone seemed satisfied. They called, saying things were almost

complete on their end. That was four months ago. I haven’t heard from them

since.”

“I’m sorry, Oren. But don’t give up. Who knows? Maybe they’ll call today.”

He tried to encourage his friend with a metaphor. “It sounds as if you’ve been

on a roller coaster ride. They’re thrilling and frustrating. But we learn a lot from

taking the ride.” He continued, “Just seeing the coaster elicits a thrill! Kinda

like you, looking forward to growing the business. The first big hill is scary,

but anticipating the drop is thrilling! The next thing we know, we’re falling at

breakneck speed. We involuntarily scream and feel like we’re losing control. We

get freaked out and want to jump. But that would be suicide! Oren, the hardest

part of the ride is trusting the operator. God knows what’s best for your life.

Just hang on and trust Him.”

“I do. But sometimes I wish the ride wasn’t so wild,” Oren said.

h

We can all identify with Oren. We’ve been on life’s roller coasters, where the

rides have been some of the toughest lessons we’ve ever learned. Yet apart from

these disappointments, we gain no appreciable experience, and our spiritual

growth becomes stunted. Learning to lose gracefully pays dividends.

Coaster rides are difficult, frustrating, and sometimes even perilous.

But know this: God will never harm us. He wants to purpose our lives by

leading us to the center of His will. Sometimes that means riding the coaster

when it’s the last thing we want to do. Have faith! His Word assures us that

He is trustworthy.

Would you risk a wild ride with God for His promise of great and mighty

things?

Prayer

“Sometimes life scares me, Lord. I need reassurance.

Take away my fear and replace it with the faith that

knows You’re near. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Laughter-Filled Prayer

June 29

A cheerful heart is good medicine.

Proverbs 17:22

This group was a sampling of the community: pastors and their wives, church

members from several different denominations, laymen and women alike. And

everyone was welcome.

This group believed that corporate prayer with likeminded people was

more important to their community than their inconsequential doctrinal dif-

ferences. A testament to their commitment was that they had been meeting

together for over eight years.

But there was something even more compelling at work that drew them

together each Tuesday at noon; they loved each other with the love of the

Father, and they laughed a lot, and not just the occasional chuckle or smile.

These people knew how to laugh together. They had grown to love each other

so deeply that it showed in the way they picked on one another. No one was

exempt from spending time in the hot seat. And none of them seemed to mind.

They had learned to share their lives, the victories and defeats. This was a

close-knit group. And the more they laughed, the more they loved. The more

they loved, the closer they got. They spent time praising the Lord and lifting

the needs of the community before the throne. They were dead serious when it

came to what they felt God had called them to. But they were never far from

the laughter.

h

It’s not a sin to laugh, even during prayer. Today’s text directs us to have a

cheerful heart. It’s hard to imagine being any cheerier than when we’re laugh-

ing. God loves to hear us laugh. He is not affronted by, nor does He disapprove

of, laughter-filled prayer.

When we come before the throne, we are to come in reverence. My dic-

tionary defines reverence this way: “A feeling of awe and respect and often of

love.” None of the three are out of line with laughter. When we laugh with our

friends, it’s not an act of irreverence; it’s sharing our joy.

God wants to be our closest friend. Prayer is spending quality time with

Someone we love. And although there are times to be somber as we approach

His throne, God wants to share our laughter too.

Prayer

“Lord, You are the author of laughter. May you find

me willing to share mine with you. Amen.”

 Before We Speak

June 28

The tongue is also a fire.

James 3:6

“Have you heard about Jeremy?” Katrina asked her brother. “No. What’s up?”

Phil responded. “Well, I’m not sure … ” she hesitated, then said, “I heard he was

back on pain pills.”

“That’s too bad. I like Jeremy,” Phil replied.

A week later, Jeremy was called into his employer’s office and immediately

terminated. They gave him no explanation other than he was no longer a good

fit for the company. Jeremy repeatedly asked for a more defined explanation but

they would say no more.

Shaken, Jeremy determined to put it behind him. But finding suitable

employment during the economic downturn took more than six months. In

that time he lost his car and used up his entire savings as well as his retirement

fund.

Two years later, Jeremy ran into a co-worker from his former employer. In

the course of their conversation, the man asked Jeremy if he was still having

trouble with pills.

A little surprised by the question, Jeremy told him, “No, I’m great. I’ve

been clean for six years.”

The man seemed surprised by the ‘six years’ and proceeded to tell Jeremy

that he’d been part of a conversation with Jeremy’s old boss and Katrina’s

brother, Phil, the week of Jeremy’s termination. “Phil told the boss you were

back on drugs. I guess he assumed Phil knew what he was talking about and

didn’t think it warranted further investigation. I’m really sorry man. I always

enjoyed working with you.”

Jeremy was sorry, too. But at least now he had the truth.

h

We are never to be careless with our words. Yet, many find fulfillment in

spreading gossip. Although untrue, Jeremy’s life was devastatingly impacted

by gossip. When we speak without concern for the consequence of our words,

we are taking someone’s integrity, welfare, and quite possibly their life in our

own hands.

Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” When we

hear gossip we have two choices: to lovingly confront the gossip, suggesting

they refrain from the practice of spreading rumors; or remove ourselves from

their presence, refusing to take part. What we say matters. At the peril of oth-

ers, we must consider our words.

Prayer

“Lord, guard my lips that I would not harm

another. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Check the Salt

June 27

But if the salt loses its saltiness … it is no longer good for anything.

Matthew 5:13

“Ahhhh!” Rebecca was infuriated. “When was the last time you put salt in the

softener?” she hollered.

Instantly, Hank knew what had happened. Oh, no! Rust spots in the white

clothes! Way to go, Hank! He derided himself for not checking the salt level in

the softener recently. Actually, he wasn’t as concerned about the rust-spotted

clothes as he was the grief his oversight created. The next week would be miser-

able; that was about how long it took Rebecca to forgive him.

Getting out of the chair, he headed to survey the damage that would cer-

tainly be referred to as his fault. He decided to sow a seed of goodwill, an olive

branch of sorts. “Honey, I’m really sorry,” he said ahead of his arrival. “It just

slipped my mind.”

As he entered the laundry room, he realized his apology had been a mis-

take. It was having little to no effect. “How bad is it?” he asked, making his

second mistake.

Her answer had all the earmarks of a torch for his olive branch. “Not too

bad … if you enjoy wearing orange underwear!” she said, holding a pair aloft.

They were a mottled mess of reddish-brown and rusty white.

Realizing there was only one thing he could do, he said, “I’ll take care of it

right now.” And with that, he sheepishly turned and headed to the basement to

dump a couple bags of salt into the brine tank.

h

In the same way a constant source of salt is needed to condition rusty water,

our spiritual lives need a constant filtering to keep unwanted impurities from

soiling our spiritual being.

The level of salt must be maintained in a water conditioner, just as the

intake of godly things in a Christian’s life must be maintained.

By reading God’s Word regularly and meeting on a regular basis with

other Christians for encouragement and insight, we can stop the accumulation

of unsavory buildups that cause us to lose our solid footing and effectiveness.

We must regularly check the level in our spiritual salt tank.

Prayer

“Thank You for Your Word that provides life-giving

wisdom. Help me to be diligent in my actions concerning

my Christian walk so others and I might benefit. Amen.”

 Make Me Pure Again, Lord

June 26

Create in me a pure heart, O God.

Psalm 51:10

Russell turned off the computer, feeling defeated. It had been six weeks since

he’d given into the temptation, and now he felt horrible. He didn’t understand

how he could love his wife and still do this.

He tried to control his impulses, yet he couldn’t seem to help himself. He

always seemed to end up at a porn site, committing adultery with women he

would never meet. And when it was over, guilt and shame replaced denial and

desire; he hated not being able to resist the temptation.

The next morning, he called a friend who happened to be a Christian

counselor. “I don’t understand this, Paul. I get this urge that won’t be satisfied

until I give in. I love Barb. Why can’t I stop?”

“It’s a complex problem, Russ,” Paul began. “Men are visually stimulated.

They catalogue every image they see. If the image stimulates sufficiently, it

is retained. Pornographic images cause a hormonal flood in the brain, which

creates heightened desire because it alerts the procreation instinct, which feels

the need to respond immediately. It’s the same as being addicted to heroine.

The only way to stop the process is to delete the images from your memory,

and that’s not humanly possible. Only God can recreate your mind and remove

those images from your memory. Let’s set an appointment to talk further.”

h

Pornographic images stimulate and trigger the release of adrenaline, testos-

terone, endorphins, and oxytocin, a stimulus package sufficient to cause tre-

mendous euphoria. Pleasure receptors override common sense. Once viewed,

you cannot stop uncensored recall of the images. Only blocking the ability to

remember can inhibit recall.

Had David taken the images of Bathsheba to God when he saw her bath-

ing (2 Samuel 11:2), he may not have given in to his sexual desire. Instead he

chose to entertain them, and he and many others paid the price. In his sorrow,

David asked God to renew his heart.

As with David, God would set us free if we would ask. For those who fight

this battle, Christian counseling is a good place to begin.

Prayer

“Make me pure again, Lord. Lead me in the steps necessary

to bring about true freedom. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 At the End of Each Day

June 25

We have different gifts according to the grace given us.

Romans 12:6

“How do you deal with the accolades?” John asked Marlie. “I’ve always felt like

I was supposed to downplay my part. You know, give all the glory to God.”

Marlie chuckled. “I struggled too until my father gave me this advice.

‘Just say thank you. I love to sing, and it blesses me when someone is touched

through my gift.’ Then give the glory to the One Who deserves it at the end

of each day.” Marlie continued, “If we declare, ‘It wasn’t me,’ we negate the gift

of God, a gift we are meant to share. It also extinguishes the work of the Holy

Spirit. But if we allow them to share what God has done through us, we give

credibility to the gift.”

She continued, “Paul taught that we have different gifts, and we are to use

them. Our songs are a source of encouragement to many. Through our singing,

people are lifted above their trials and into the worship of His presence. If you

were a renowned artist and someone told you that your painting stirred him

deeply, would you feel a need to say, ‘I didn’t paint this; it was God’? Of course

not. Just remember, when you lie down for the night, tell Him thanks and that

you’re ready to do it all again any time He calls.”

h

Every good gift comes from God. Not one of us could perform in our daily

lives apart from His grace. He has gifted us, equipped us for the work He

ordained for us to do.

To the banker who works late hours making sure the figures balance, you

are to take comfort in the fact that without your abilities given by God, our

financial institutions would suffer collapse. To the waitress who smiles for each

customer, you bring lighthearted joy to someone who may be going through a

rough time; you are a servant.

Whatever your gift, say thank you and give glory to the One Who deserves

it at the end of each day.

Prayer

“For what You do through me, Lord, thank You. I give

You the praise I have received this day. Continue to bless

and use this gift of Your grace. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”