Editor's note: Enjoy today's devotion from This Is How God Talks to You.
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Pause for a moment and think about your inner circle—the people you are closest to. Your inner circle might include a spouse, parents, siblings, friends, neighbors, or colleagues. There’s a good chance you’d recognize these people’s voices on the phone or even in a crowd. In fact, you’d not only recognize their voice—you might even say, That sounds like something he would say, or He would never say that. You can make these types of statements when you know someone well enough to recognize their voice and understand their opinions and views about the world.
As you read the Bible, you’ll learn to recognize Jesus’s voice.
In John 10:27, Jesus said,
My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.
In the Gospels, Jesus sometimes referred to His followers as His sheep and to Himself as the Shepherd. In the first century, the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep was well known, but in today’s culture, it needs a little explaining.
The role of the shepherd is to guide the sheep, provide for their needs, and protect the flock from predators. Sheep are vulnerable and need constant care and guidance. In the context of that relationship, sheep learn their master’s voice and follow the shepherd, because they know that the shepherd is trustworthy.
In comparing a Christ-follower’s relationship with Jesus to that of the sheep and shepherd, Jesus was plainly saying that believers can be so close to Him that they recognize His voice when He is speaking to them. Every time you read your Bible you are training your heart, soul, and mind to recognize God and His ways. As you become more familiar with the Scriptures, you’ll find that specific passages come to mind as you confront different situations. It’s in this way that Jesus most often speaks to His followers through His Word.
- As you go about your day and see things that align with what the Bible teaches, you can be confident that God approves of those things.
On the other hand, when you are confronted with things that are in violation of Scripture, you can be certain that God disapproves. You can know without a doubt that Jesus will never lead you to do something that is in violation of His Word. And it’s through your relationship with the Scriptures that you’ll come to know and love the voice of God.
Excerpted with permission from This Is How God Talks to You, copyright HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.
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Your Turn
One of the reasons why we need to read the Bible a lot and regularly is so we know what God’s voice sounds like, what He would say, and what He wouldn’t say. God doesn’t contradict Himself. Train your mind to recognize His voice. The Good Shepherd loves you! ~ Devotionals Daily