By: J. Raymond Pecoraro

Some people suffer from deaf of hearing; others suffer from partial hearing; yet others suffer from selective hearing when it comes to hearing God and His Word. God speaks to us through His Word daily and we must take the time to listen. This is definitely in our best interest!

Jimmy, a precious three-year-old, watched his mother making chocolate chip cookies. He asked his mother if he could have one of her delicious cookies. His mother told him that he could not because it was near his suppertime and she didn't want his meal spoiled. Little Jimmy ran to his room in tears only to reappear a short time later to let his mother know that it was okay for her to give him a cookie. He proceeded by saying that Jesus told him it was okay. His mother replied telling him that he must not have been listening!

Jimmy's motivation was wrong, but he was absolutely right about two things: God longs to speak to us, and we need to listen.

In I Samuel 3:9, another little boy learned those same ageless principles. When Samuel followed Eli's counsel and prayed, "Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears," he was open to receiving God's powerful message. Like Samuel, we long to hear God speaking to us but often fail to discern His voice.

God spoke audibly to Samuel back in those days. Today, He speaks to us through the Bible given by Inspiration of the Holy Spirit. (II Timothy 3:16, 17). But as a result of neglect and nonstop activity, some people have become "hard of hearing." Some folks require "spiritual hearing aids" like the one in Samuel's prayer. Are you the servant of God who says, "Speak, Lord, for your servant hears?" This humble attitude will cause you to receive blessings from above because you heard God!

Adjust your spiritual hearing aid and set a special time each day to read and meditate upon God's Word. Also make prayer your priority throughout the day!

Tonk Talk by Mark T. Tonkery 

                   The historian Thomas Carlyle talks about Louis XV the king of France in the 1700s.  He records that France was in terror, and chaos because of tyrants.  When Louis XV became king, he was young and inspired the people of France so much that they affectionately called him “Louis the Well-Beloved.”  This name was given to him, not because of anything he had done but what they had hoped he would do for France.   The nation was looking for peace and believed their new young king could bring the stability they desired.  Thirty years later, Louis XV lay sick, and France hated him.  Why?  Because for over thirty years he had done nothing.

                   In the book of Revelation, we learn about a church that did nothing.  The church at Laodicea was lukewarm.  Jesus declares in, Rev 3:15-16, “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!  So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” 

                   Doing nothing is unhealthy for a king or for the church.  Paul teaches in 2 Thess. 3:10, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” James 4:17, Tells us, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”  James reminds us, doing nothing is a sin.

Read the book of Acts and notice that much of the Lord's work was done by Christians who volunteered their time and effort.  One would also notice that very few were paid for their labors.  Such is the case today; for the church to function as it should it needs members to work, labor, and to volunteer.  Yes, some people will be paid so they can devote much more of their time to spreading the Gospel and building up the Kingdom, but the church still needs Christians to be great volunteers.             

The Bible calls us to work and labor in the Kingdom.  We each must put forth an effort to spread the gospel, to do works of service, and even to be in worship on the Lord’s Day as well as throughout the week for other times of Bible study (Heb. 10:25).   

Paul warns his readers in Rom. 12:6-8 to be diligent in their work for the Lord.  Col. 3:23, states, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”   

Question:  Are we diligent in the work of the Lord?  The Lord needs every member to be involved with the work of the church, we cannot just do nothing in the Kingdom of Christ.

Church, there is much work to do even Jesus acknowledge this in Mat. 9:37-38, “Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”  

Will you pray for laborers to work in the Kingdom of Christ, better yet will you be a laborer and worker in the Kingdom? Think about it!

Daily Devotional
By Tom Smith, Wooddale Church of Christ 

Be aware of what you see and hear. There is a familiar saying in the computer world, "garbage in, garbage out". How perfectly that saying can be used in regard to the things we see and hear each day. Let me ask you a question. Would you take a steak, rub it all over the floor, and then eat it? Or how about taking a glass that has been in the garage or basement for a year, and filling it up with water, and drinking it? Or what about picking a tomato out of a garden and eating it right there? I am sure by now you have to be thinking I must be losing it, that I really can't be serious. The fact is, we would never think about doing these things, eating and drinking things that are dirty and not clean. Yet, consciously or subconsciously we do that every single day by what we allow ourselves to see and hear.

We live in a very real and sinful world. We will never be able to live apart from the sinfulness that infests every part of life. Over the years, sin has crept into every element of life and that is a reality we must not only deal with but never lose sight of. While we can never be totally immune from the sin that infects our world, we can take measures to minimize our exposure to it. We can be diligent to guard ourselves from it. We must always be careful about letting sin into our life.

How we think, how we act, are manifestations of what we are exposed to in this life. What we see and what we hear go into our "computers" and become elements in our thought process, and ultimately in our actions. If you think for a second that what you listen to, and what you watch does not have a bearing on how you think and act, you are sadly mistaken. The Bible talks about the renewing of our mind Romans 12:2. This is literally talking about reprogramming our "computer". Deleting all of the garbage and useless information we have stored up, and replacing it with Godly, inspirational content.

Be aware of what things you allow yourself to hear and see. Understand the harmful affect so much of the world can have on your life if you allow it in. I am not saying don't go to the movies again, or ever watch TV, or never read a non-Christian book or magazine, or only listen to Christian music. What I am saying is think before you listen to a CD, think before you start reading a book, think before you watch a TV program, think before you go to a movie. Simply ask yourself if this is content you want to input into your "computer", and what purpose it will serve. Be careful, because the enemy is the great justifier. John 8:44 says he is a liar, the father of lies. He will tell you that it is OK, that it is just entertainment, it is just harmless fun. Remember, what you allow yourself to hear and see will be part of you. Just like you are careful about what you eat and drink, be equally as concerned about what you hear and see.

Are you a Christian? I hope so. If not, you can become one today. Perhaps it's you, my friend, that today should make a commitment to the Lord and His way. Will you obey His voice today? It's really very simple; Believe That Jesus is the Son of God. Repent of past sins. Confess that faith in Christ before man, and be baptized for the remission of sins. If we can help you in any way let us know. Visit a church of Christ nearby in your city. We will be glad to help you in any way we can. Or you can write to us and we will answer any question you may have. Do it today. Will you? We love you.
 

By: J. Raymond Pecoraro

The book entitled "The Caine Mutiny" written by Herman Wouk is a novel about World War II. In his book, we read about an excellent illustration of what happens when someone becomes a follower of Christ.

This book tells about a young man from a very influential family who decided he wanted to enlist in the military, particularly the United States Navy. The day this young man was to report for military duty, his mother drove him in their fancy family automobile. His good mother kisses her beloved son goodbye knowing she wouldn't see him for quite some time. The young son shakes hands with the military guard and enters the secured building closing the door behind him.

The young man's mother suddenly worried that her son didn't have enough money so she rushes back to the door of the building. But the guard politely stops the mother from entering the building where her son stood. When she demands entrance, the guard refuses to allow her in. She could see her son standing on the inside the door, so she reaches for the doorknob. "He's my son!" she cries. The guard gently removed her hand from the knob and said softly, "I know, Ma'am, but he belongs to Uncle Sam now. He's a sailor."

Of course, the Bible gives us the best illustrations of what it means to be a follower of Christ. When we submit our will to the Will of the Lord, blessings begin to flow on into eternity. In Matthew 22:37, Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." The followers of Christ get their marching orders directly from God.

When we believe in Him and become obedient to the gospel we become His followers! We are now under a new authority. (Matthew 28:18-20). We are subject to new commands because we belong to Him. What was once important to us no longer matters and loses its significance. We look at things in life differently. Our new desire is to love the One who first loved us. Our new desire is to serve the Master with every fiber of our being.