DAILY-E-VOTIONAL

BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART

Pastor Cecil A. Thompson

May 21, 2015

“HIS VOICE!”

 John 10:1-3

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”

Voice recognition is a strange thing. Something in the tone of a voice identifies who it is that is speaking or calling. When I was a boy we would be outside playing, and in the evening our mother would call us to come home for dinner. Without any identification other than the sound of her voice, each of us would know whether it was our mother or the mother of one of our friends. Just the sound of the voice made the difference.

When I was in college we lived in a housing project with other married college students. It was not too long after World War II and the housing was former military barracks. Not the most glamorous place to live, but the camaraderie that existed between all of the married families was wonderful.

One evening several of us men were visiting outside, discussing college and some of the difficult professors we had (yes there were some of them), when the wife of one of the men opened her door and yelled at the top of her voice, “Chester! Come in right now! It is getting dark!” We would have recognized her voice a block away. Poor Chester! We felt for him!

I am told that the sheep can identify the voice or the sound of their shepherd. It may be a whistle or a guttural sound. It may be a hand signal or body language. No matter what means of communication, the sheep know when the Shepherd is calling. How do we know when the Lord is speaking to us?  The more time we spend in His Word and in prayer, the more familiar we become with the way He speaks.  Listen for His voice and obey!

May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions! 

- - - Pastor Cecil