Can You Hear Him?

When was the last time you heard Jesus tell you something and you wouldn't do it? Maybe it was a burning bush moment but you questioned His voice? I wonder how often we do this.

It's like my son on the playground today. He was running around like most boys do. He climbed the top of a bridge and he continued to run and jump. I told him to slow down. He looked at me, grinned and started to run again. BAM! Both of our worlds froze for an instant,  followed by a really hard cry. I ran to him, picked him up, and gave him a look over to make sure everything was OK. He looked at me with his big eyes and said, "Daddy I'm sorry." I held him tight and told him that I was telling him not to run because he could get hurt. After a couple of big hugs we marched to the swing set and the world was right again.

Luke 9:57-62 tells about a time when people wanted to follow Jesus. They were eager, ready, and in all practicality...bold. I give them credit because most of us are to comfortable living in the now that we wouldn't have thought to ask to follow Jesus. When Jesus told them what they needed to do in order to truly follow him, they didn't listen. Instead, they made excuses. They seemed like good ones: to bury a father and to say goodbye to friends and family. The problem is, they weren't truly listening to what Jesus was trying to tell them.

This brings me back to my original thought. How often do we truly listen to Jesus? Sometimes when He tells us to do something it won't make sense. Sometimes when he tells us to do something, it's out of the blue. There are tons of examples in the Bible showing people that did not listen to Jesus. There are also tons of examples in the Bible of people who listened to Jesus. Here's a good idea, check them out! Look at what happened to the people that didn't listen to Jesus and look at the people that did. Check out their lives after the decision was made. How did it affect the people around them? How did it affect themselves?

My challenge for us today is stop what we are doing and ask Jesus what's next...and listen.