Make it Transformational: A Blog for Champion Discipleship

Last week, I wrote about coaching your champions to listen first to God's leading for your shared cause.

Next step?  Listen to them to learn how they were directed.  That got me to thinking about what scripture might tells us about listening. 

I did a word search for 'listen' on www.biblegateway.com.  After scanning 413 results for about 37 minutes, here are just a few scriptural take-aways:

-  The verbs listen and hear often go hand in hand.  David says, O Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy,' in Psalm 143:1.  Isaiah says 'Listen to me, my people: hear me, my nation,' in Isaiah 51:4.  In Jeremiah 6:10, God says 'Who will listen to me?  Their ears are closed so they cannot hear.'  When you communicate with your champions, do you take the time to listen AND hear them with ears that are open?

- The verb listen often accompanies the command to pay attention.  In Hosea 5:1, it says 'Hear this, you priests! Pay attention, you Israelites! Listen, O royal house!'  In Ezekiel 44:5, Ezekiel says, " The LORD said to me, "Son of man, look carefully, listen closely and give attention to everything I tell you concerning all the regulations regarding the temple of the LORD.  When you listen to your champions, do you pay attention?  Do you give attention to everything they tell you? 

- Listening requires that the heart is properly conditioned.  Check out Malachi 2:2 where it says, "If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor my name," says the LORD Almighty, "I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor me.'  Have you set your heart to honor the Lord before you sit down to listen to your champions??

- And there's more:
    - Do you listen to your champion and try to understand what s/he is saying? 
    - Do you listen and learn something? 
    - Do you listen patiently? 
    - Are you quick to listen or are you too busy to find time in your schedule for important conversations? 

Take some time to ponder these scriptural gems about listening.

 Then reflect back on the question of the day: What does listening mean to you??