“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand”
(John 10:27-28, NIV).
We live in a noisy world. It is not uncommon for me to go to a coffee shop or a café to try to get work done. Oftentimes, just when I get settled into what I think will be a quiet spot, the noise intrudes.
Even as I write this, I’m at a coffee shop where all around me is noise—men and women alike discuss relationships, future career goals, the choices that their children are making. The conversations are endless. I hear these conversations not because I am intentionally listening, but because these voices and others work their way in from all directions, combining to create a suddenly very noisy and crowded environment.
This coffee shop noise is a good reminder of how quickly and easily chaos can flood into our lives.
A quiet morning can turn into a hectic afternoon filled with meetings, appointments, and busy schedules. A peaceful bedtime can, a few hours later, become a whirlwind of morning fires to put out. Peace is often replaced with noise in the world in which we live.
As we try to stay focused among this noise, we should remember John 10:27-28, where Jesus anticipates how quickly and easily we can become distracted by the noise that tries to compete with the still, small voice of God’s Spirit. The good news is that our Shepherd can cut through and speak clearly to us in the middle of the noise, leading us into holiness, for He is fully aware that we live in a world filled with distractions.
Join me in praying for all those conversations we hear—for the relationships, future career goals, and families. Pray that all of us would allow the voice of Jesus—the Good Shepherd of His people—to rise above the distraction and the noise and lead us into His life-giving ways.
Prayer:
O Spirit of God, warm our hearts with the love of God and of Christ that we might be awakened to our opportunity to give our best to worship and serve you today and every day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. (John Wesley)
This post was written by Charles W. Christian the managing editor of Holiness Today. You can find the original post here: holinesstoday.org/above-the-noise
(John 10:27-28, NIV).
We live in a noisy world. It is not uncommon for me to go to a coffee shop or a café to try to get work done. Oftentimes, just when I get settled into what I think will be a quiet spot, the noise intrudes.
Even as I write this, I’m at a coffee shop where all around me is noise—men and women alike discuss relationships, future career goals, the choices that their children are making. The conversations are endless. I hear these conversations not because I am intentionally listening, but because these voices and others work their way in from all directions, combining to create a suddenly very noisy and crowded environment.
This coffee shop noise is a good reminder of how quickly and easily chaos can flood into our lives.
A quiet morning can turn into a hectic afternoon filled with meetings, appointments, and busy schedules. A peaceful bedtime can, a few hours later, become a whirlwind of morning fires to put out. Peace is often replaced with noise in the world in which we live.
As we try to stay focused among this noise, we should remember John 10:27-28, where Jesus anticipates how quickly and easily we can become distracted by the noise that tries to compete with the still, small voice of God’s Spirit. The good news is that our Shepherd can cut through and speak clearly to us in the middle of the noise, leading us into holiness, for He is fully aware that we live in a world filled with distractions.
Join me in praying for all those conversations we hear—for the relationships, future career goals, and families. Pray that all of us would allow the voice of Jesus—the Good Shepherd of His people—to rise above the distraction and the noise and lead us into His life-giving ways.
Prayer:
O Spirit of God, warm our hearts with the love of God and of Christ that we might be awakened to our opportunity to give our best to worship and serve you today and every day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. (John Wesley)
This post was written by Charles W. Christian the managing editor of Holiness Today. You can find the original post here: holinesstoday.org/above-the-noise
RSS Feed