Title: They Missed It / Topic: Listening

Today’s Reading: Job 15; Acts 19; Acts 20

Scripture: Acts 20:23-31
23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me...
25 "Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again... 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears...
38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

Observation: Today, I listened to the scripture instead of reading it. When I heard verse 38, I thought, "how strange!" Look what Paul had just talked to them about. Paul had shared with them about his own coming imprisonment and hardship, and given them serious warnings concerning outside attacks from savage wolves, and inside attacks from disloyal teachers. He had charged them to be on their guard and reminded them of his tearful warnings over three years. Afterward, they are upset -- even grieved, we are told. But notice that what grieves them most is "that they would never see his face again!" Wow! Of all the things that they should be grieving about, this is the least of their worries. They were going to miss Paul, to be sure, but unfortunately, the had already missed the point of the message he brought to them.

Application: Good listening skills are so important -- especially for leaders. I think we often miss the main point of what God tells us. Look at the history of God's people. God says, keep a day in seven set aside for me. They get so focused on Sabbath rules that when Jesus came, they missed Him and accused Him of breaking the Sabbath that He set up! And you can find a dozen examples of instances where people focused on a small part of what God said and missed the main point altogether. Here's another one.
Bottom line: Listen carefully to what the Lord speaks to You, both from the word and from human sources. Take the whole word and let the Lord give you the big picture.

Prayer: Lord, help us to understand as You do. Our view is so limited, our understanding is so limited -- we need Your perspective and Your enlightenment. Open our hearts and minds to get it. Make Your people good listeners.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.