Jesus Calls Us

Myriad voices clamor earnestly and unceasingly for our attention! WHO are we listening to?


"Tweet, tweet, tweet, ringtone, ringtone, ringtone, beep, beep, beep, ding, ding, ding, Mom, Mom, Mom, Hon, Hon, Hon, ......."


From:
TV
Ipod
News Media
Magazines
Newspaper
Blogs
Twitter, FB, MySpace, etc.
Entertainers
Sports
Politicians
Economists
Health Alerts


Has there ever been such a time of CLAMOR for our attention?


How about God's voice? tweet, tweet.....this is God speaking..... "delete" ? ? ? "skip" ? ? ?


How about the voices within:
I'm not important
My life does not matter
I'm basically blowing it
I'm definitely on plan x, y or z certainly not "A" anymore
I'm ugly
I'm too fat
I'm worthless
and on and on those voices drone....


Here's actually a hopeful thought!

"Jesus calls us; over the tumult of our life's wild, restless sea,
Day by day His sweet voice soundeth, Saying "Christian, follow Me."



"As of old the apostles heard it by the Galilean lake,
Turned from home and toil and kindred, leaving all for Jesus' sake. "



"Jesus calls us from the worship of the vain world's golden store,
From each idol that would keep us, Saying, "Christian love Me more."



"In our joys and in our sorrows, Days of toil and hours of ease,
Still He calls in cares and pleasures, "Christian, love Me more than these."



"Jesus calls us; by Thy mercies, Savior, may we hear Thy call,
Give our hearts to Thy obedience, Serve and love Thee best of all."
~~Cecil F. Alexander, 1818-1895



It's an old hymn from the hymnbook but the words are comforting!



Ever notice that when God was preparing to send His Son into the world He sent "A VOICE"... out in the dessert saying "Prepare ye the way of the Lord..." That "voice" was John the Baptist whose message was "Repent, the Kngdom of Heaven is at hand."
Anybody listening?


A VOICE? God who could send lightening bolts, whirlwinds, earthquakes, etc., starts with.... a VOICE?



Clearly all the social networking in our world make it obvious that people love to be heard and have a lot to say!
Anybody listening?



Later, in Jesus' life while He was transfigured on the mountain top with 3 of His disciples, the Father spoke from heaven: "This is my beloved Son, HEAR HIM."!
Anybody listening?



Astounding that the God of Heaven and Earth should need to tell us that we need to listen to HIM! Is it possible that we could go on living our lives without listening to God? While it seems like a "no brainer" to me - I see clearly in the world all around me that listening to God and for His sweet voice has become a lost art. Our lives are so full of so much other noise that who even has time to think about listening for God to speak? Actually, it may be the most important voice of all!
Anybody listening?



So I ask, whose voice ARE you listening to? When is the last time you actually heard the "sweet sound of HIS voice" speaking to YOU personally? Hearing God speak is not just for some strange "mystical" creatures but rather for each and every one of us. Clearly being "heard" is a basic human need. Let's take it a step further and say clearly, it must be a "God need" as well - to be heard! No surprise there either since we were created "in His image." :-)



HOW- that is the question!
Start with reading God's Word -
Pray - ask Him to speak to you as you read
Listen - !
Remember the little song from Kindergarten - "STOP - LOOK - LISTEN, those are the three commands, You must stop and look and listen, ......" ?
Same with God - STOP - LOOK - LISTEN!
When we desire to hear His voice He speaks!
Anybody listening?



I pray we will all grow in our desire to HEAR the voice of the Lord - however He may choose to reveal it to us today!

Joyfully yours,
Ruth Joy
www.joy-bringer-ministries.org

Jesus Calls Us

Myriad voices clamor earnestly and unceasingly for our attention! WHO are we listening to?


"Tweet, tweet, tweet, ringtone, ringtone, ringtone, beep, beep, beep, ding, ding, ding, Mom, Mom, Mom, Hon, Hon, Hon, ......."


From:
TV
Ipod
News Media
Magazines
Newspaper
Blogs
Twitter, FB, MySpace, etc.
Entertainers
Sports
Politicians
Economists
Health Alerts


Has there ever been such a time of CLAMOR for our attention?


How about God's voice? tweet, tweet.....this is God speaking..... "delete" ? ? ? "skip" ? ? ?


How about the voices within:
I'm not important
My life does not matter
I'm basically blowing it
I'm definitely on plan x, y or z certainly not "A" anymore
I'm ugly
I'm too fat
I'm worthless
and on and on those voices drone....


Here's actually a hopeful thought!

"Jesus calls us; over the tumult of our life's wild, restless sea,
Day by day His sweet voice soundeth, Saying "Christian, follow Me."



"As of old the apostles heard it by the Galilean lake,
Turned from home and toil and kindred, leaving all for Jesus' sake. "



"Jesus calls us from the worship of the vain world's golden store,
From each idol that would keep us, Saying, "Christian love Me more."



"In our joys and in our sorrows, Days of toil and hours of ease,
Still He calls in cares and pleasures, "Christian, love Me more than these."



"Jesus calls us; by Thy mercies, Savior, may we hear Thy call,
Give our hearts to Thy obedience, Serve and love Thee best of all."
~~Cecil F. Alexander, 1818-1895



It's an old hymn from the hymnbook but the words are comforting!



Ever notice that when God was preparing to send His Son into the world He sent "A VOICE"... out in the dessert saying "Prepare ye the way of the Lord..." That "voice" was John the Baptist whose message was "Repent, the Kngdom of Heaven is at hand."
Anybody listening?


A VOICE? God who could send lightening bolts, whirlwinds, earthquakes, etc., starts with.... a VOICE?



Clearly all the social networking in our world make it obvious that people love to be heard and have a lot to say!
Anybody listening?



Later, in Jesus' life while He was transfigured on the mountain top with 3 of His disciples, the Father spoke from heaven: "This is my beloved Son, HEAR HIM."!
Anybody listening?



Astounding that the God of Heaven and Earth should need to tell us that we need to listen to HIM! Is it possible that we could go on living our lives without listening to God? While it seems like a "no brainer" to me - I see clearly in the world all around me that listening to God and for His sweet voice has become a lost art. Our lives are so full of so much other noise that who even has time to think about listening for God to speak? Actually, it may be the most important voice of all!
Anybody listening?



So I ask, whose voice ARE you listening to? When is the last time you actually heard the "sweet sound of HIS voice" speaking to YOU personally? Hearing God speak is not just for some strange "mystical" creatures but rather for each and every one of us. Clearly being "heard" is a basic human need. Let's take it a step further and say clearly, it must be a "God need" as well - to be heard! No surprise there either since we were created "in His image." :-)



HOW- that is the question!
Start with reading God's Word -
Pray - ask Him to speak to you as you read
Listen - !
Remember the little song from Kindergarten - "STOP - LOOK - LISTEN, those are the three commands, You must stop and look and listen, ......" ?
Same with God - STOP - LOOK - LISTEN!
When we desire to hear His voice He speaks!
Anybody listening?



I pray we will all grow in our desire to HEAR the voice of the Lord - however He may choose to reveal it to us today!

Joyfully yours,
Ruth Joy
www.joy-bringer-ministries.org

P.S. God's Word FIRST!

I have to balance what I've written about listening for God to speak to us and having a hearing ear with this. There are well meaning people running about saying they hear from God for themselves and do not need God's Word or any one else. That is error. I too have seen people use God for exuses to do all sorts of things that are not Godly at all, or are simply just what they want to do. God is not a fool and will not be mocked. I do believe we can hear God in our daily lives as I have already posted, but do not support the abuse of that concept! When God speaks to our hearts it will always line up with Word which is the FIRST place we should hear from Him anyway. Secondly, people who tell others that God gave them a message for someone else - well again - God is not a gossip or a fool. I believe there are many today that call themselves prophets that just deal in "familiar spirits" and it has nothing to do with GOD! When we know God's Word and are in relationship with the Good Shepherd we learn to "know His voice" and cannot be easily led astray or fooled.
Joyfully,
Ruth Joy

www.joy-bringer-ministries.org

P.S. God's Word FIRST!

I have to balance what I've written about listening for God to speak to us and having a hearing ear with this. There are well meaning people running about saying they hear from God for themselves and do not need God's Word or any one else. That is error. I too have seen people use God for exuses to do all sorts of things that are not Godly at all, or are simply just what they want to do. God is not a fool and will not be mocked. I do believe we can hear God in our daily lives as I have already posted, but do not support the abuse of that concept! When God speaks to our hearts it will always line up with Word which is the FIRST place we should hear from Him anyway. Secondly, people who tell others that God gave them a message for someone else - well again - God is not a gossip or a fool. I believe there are many today that call themselves prophets that just deal in "familiar spirits" and it has nothing to do with GOD! When we know God's Word and are in relationship with the Good Shepherd we learn to "know His voice" and cannot be easily led astray or fooled.
Joyfully,
Ruth Joy

www.joy-bringer-ministries.org

An ear to Hear

"Speak, Lord, your servant is listening." 1 Samuel 3:9

Those words were what Eli the priest told the boy Samuel to say when God was attempting to speak with him. God had stopped speaking to Eli due to his failure to discipline his sons. It's a serious thought - Can our disobedience to God stop up our ears? Hearing requires action.

Listening is an art. A long time ago I heard someone teach about "listening" for God's voice. They encouraged us to imagine ourselves as large receivers ready and waiting to pick up any communication that might come through the air waves. You know the receivers I mean - sometimes you see a huge one on someone's lawn or out here in the country on the top of a hill - strategically placed to make receiving signals possible as well as prolific! So maybe we need to place ourselves strategically too in a state of readiness to receive whatever message God would like to communicate to us.

We live in a world that is full of more sound than perhaps ever before - from channels to tweeting, ipods to blackberries, the sounds are endless. How in the world are we going to be able to tune in to hear God's voice through all that competition? It takes some training, time and attentiveness for sure as Samuel learned. It also required his willing heart. "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening."

Have you ever been speaking with someone and midway they start looking across the room at someone else and focusing on another conversation and you realize they are no longer listening to you? I'm afraid I've been guilty of that myself. It does not help the conversation! We all have that basic human need to be HEARD. Many times Jesus said, "he who has ears to hear let him hear" ... Jesus wanted to be heard! Now I'm not just talking about hearing "audio" sound either. Jesus wanted people to hear him with their hearts in such a way that it would affect their daily living.

We do not need multitudes of people to hear us - matter of fact if we have one person who really listens to us and hears our heart it is usually enough. Not so with God, He actually wants ALL of us to really HEAR Him and get His heart and allow it to transform our daily living. Wow! When I believe that it makes me want to say along with Samuel, "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening." I remember as a child on the way home from church my Mom would ask us to tell her what we had heard in the sermon that day. It was easy for us to remember the humorous parts but she was not satisfied with that - she was trying to train us to listen to what was actually being said as young as we were. I am thankful for that training today and can still remember many things I've heard in sermons throughout the years.

You've heard a Mom tell her child "now you need to listen to me" she does not just mean "hear my audible voice" she means DO THIS NOW! God has spoken to us through His Word very clearly and HE want us to hear it in such a way that we will stop everything and DO what we have heard from His word NOW! Do I have an "ear to hear" what God is saying to me today? It is the most important message in the universe. He has literally moved heaven and earth to rescue us from eternal death and give us instead eternal life. It's a message of extravagant love that never changes and never ends. It requires our attention and demands our response. It requires daily obedience to live in a way that shouts to those around us that God is alive in us. It will move us to love those around us as HE loves! A tall order but possible because of Calvary! May our hearts always bow in "speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."
Joyfully,
Ruth Joy
www.joy-bringer-ministries.org

An ear to Hear

"Speak, Lord, your servant is listening." 1 Samuel 3:9

Those words were what Eli the priest told the boy Samuel to say when God was attempting to speak with him. God had stopped speaking to Eli due to his failure to discipline his sons. It's a serious thought - Can our disobedience to God stop up our ears? Hearing requires action.

Listening is an art. A long time ago I heard someone teach about "listening" for God's voice. They encouraged us to imagine ourselves as large receivers ready and waiting to pick up any communication that might come through the air waves. You know the receivers I mean - sometimes you see a huge one on someone's lawn or out here in the country on the top of a hill - strategically placed to make receiving signals possible as well as prolific! So maybe we need to place ourselves strategically too in a state of readiness to receive whatever message God would like to communicate to us.

We live in a world that is full of more sound than perhaps ever before - from channels to tweeting, ipods to blackberries, the sounds are endless. How in the world are we going to be able to tune in to hear God's voice through all that competition? It takes some training, time and attentiveness for sure as Samuel learned. It also required his willing heart. "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening."

Have you ever been speaking with someone and midway they start looking across the room at someone else and focusing on another conversation and you realize they are no longer listening to you? I'm afraid I've been guilty of that myself. It does not help the conversation! We all have that basic human need to be HEARD. Many times Jesus said, "he who has ears to hear let him hear" ... Jesus wanted to be heard! Now I'm not just talking about hearing "audio" sound either. Jesus wanted people to hear him with their hearts in such a way that it would affect their daily living.

We do not need multitudes of people to hear us - matter of fact if we have one person who really listens to us and hears our heart it is usually enough. Not so with God, He actually wants ALL of us to really HEAR Him and get His heart and allow it to transform our daily living. Wow! When I believe that it makes me want to say along with Samuel, "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening." I remember as a child on the way home from church my Mom would ask us to tell her what we had heard in the sermon that day. It was easy for us to remember the humorous parts but she was not satisfied with that - she was trying to train us to listen to what was actually being said as young as we were. I am thankful for that training today and can still remember many things I've heard in sermons throughout the years.

You've heard a Mom tell her child "now you need to listen to me" she does not just mean "hear my audible voice" she means DO THIS NOW! God has spoken to us through His Word very clearly and HE want us to hear it in such a way that we will stop everything and DO what we have heard from His word NOW! Do I have an "ear to hear" what God is saying to me today? It is the most important message in the universe. He has literally moved heaven and earth to rescue us from eternal death and give us instead eternal life. It's a message of extravagant love that never changes and never ends. It requires our attention and demands our response. It requires daily obedience to live in a way that shouts to those around us that God is alive in us. It will move us to love those around us as HE loves! A tall order but possible because of Calvary! May our hearts always bow in "speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."
Joyfully,
Ruth Joy
www.joy-bringer-ministries.org

Listening

I don't know how it is for you, but I find myself amazed repeatedly at how, when and where God finds ways to speak to me when I am listening.

I grew up in a good little box that forbade viewing movies especially at the movie theatre! Eventually I got over it and decided to go to the movies ocassionally. I think that is why it gives me a hearty chuckle that when on the rare ocassions I do go to see a movie God speaks to me from the BIG SCREEN! I do realize most people do not go to the movies to hear God speak to them, but it's a vehicle He uses with me for sure!

I went to see Julie & Julia the other day and you guessed it - there God was speaking to me! Now it's not like I don't attend church so He has to get my attention somehow. I am the wife of a Pastor and a Pastor's daughter, etc. I can say that quite honestly, by the time I was 20 I had attended more church services than most people ever attend in their whole lives! :)

Back to Julie - she was struggling to believe she was a writer, she was struggling to finish what she started and that is where we started to connect and God started nudging me. My husband tells me to write - no, I would have to say, urges me to write. I did start writing a book for women in abuse relationships almost 2 years ago but have stopped. Lately I've been praying that He would help me to finish what I've started and show me how to get myself going again. Well there was the answer in the movie, Julie started a blog and kept it going until she was done. So here I am - I've decided to LISTEN to God's message from the big screen to me. I've started this blog and intend to continue as long as necessary - or at least until I finish that book and maybe beyond!

Hearing from God is not as difficult as we sometimes make it. When we look and listen for His voice, He will speak. Sometimes it's the tiniest whisper in our heart of hearts. Sometimes He's laughing out loud with us from the big screen. Sometimes He's just shining on us through His creation. Sometimes He's singing to us through the song we are listening to. However it comes, when we are listening for Him, God does speak! Even when my life was filled with grief, God found ways to speak to me in the most unlikely ways, but that's another blog. I think too we need to want to hear HIM.

We all have that thing called "selective hearing" - remember when Mom would call us to do some chore that we absolutely did not want to do? We found it easy to tune that right out! Remember how we could hear the things we LIKED to hear, the telephone ring when we were waiting for a call from our sweetheart (could run a marathon to get to that phone) that was before the age of cell phones! :-) Or remember the tune of the ice cream truck on a hot day even when it was still 7 blocks away!? I guess we need to make God's voice one of our "selections" is what I'm trying to say. He loves to be "selected" by us.

I love to listen to people and their stories - I know now that it is a gift I can give others - to LISTEN to them. I do listen and respond to women all over the country who reach out in painful circumstances looking for answers as they struggle with abuse in their relationships. They are looking for someone to listen to them and hear their anguish. God loves to listen to us too. If we desire Him to speak to us - He will - it will not always be what we want to hear but He will speak!

I don't know where this blogging will lead - but now at least I have begun. It is my prayer that you too will hear God speak to you no matter where you are or what is going on in your life, because He does still speak! Are you listening?

"Speak, Lord, your servant is listening." 1 Samuel 3:9
Joyfully,
Joy
http://www.joy-bringer-ministries.org/

Listening

I don't know how it is for you, but I find myself amazed repeatedly at how, when and where God finds ways to speak to me when I am listening.

I grew up in a good little box that forbade viewing movies especially at the movie theatre! Eventually I got over it and decided to go to the movies ocassionally. I think that is why it gives me a hearty chuckle that when on the rare ocassions I do go to see a movie God speaks to me from the BIG SCREEN! I do realize most people do not go to the movies to hear God speak to them, but it's a vehicle He uses with me for sure!

I went to see Julie & Julia the other day and you guessed it - there God was speaking to me! Now it's not like I don't attend church so He has to get my attention somehow. I am the wife of a Pastor and a Pastor's daughter, etc. I can say that quite honestly, by the time I was 20 I had attended more church services than most people ever attend in their whole lives! :)

Back to Julie - she was struggling to believe she was a writer, she was struggling to finish what she started and that is where we started to connect and God started nudging me. My husband tells me to write - no, I would have to say, urges me to write. I did start writing a book for women in abuse relationships almost 2 years ago but have stopped. Lately I've been praying that He would help me to finish what I've started and show me how to get myself going again. Well there was the answer in the movie, Julie started a blog and kept it going until she was done. So here I am - I've decided to LISTEN to God's message from the big screen to me. I've started this blog and intend to continue as long as necessary - or at least until I finish that book and maybe beyond!

Hearing from God is not as difficult as we sometimes make it. When we look and listen for His voice, He will speak. Sometimes it's the tiniest whisper in our heart of hearts. Sometimes He's laughing out loud with us from the big screen. Sometimes He's just shining on us through His creation. Sometimes He's singing to us through the song we are listening to. However it comes, when we are listening for Him, God does speak! Even when my life was filled with grief, God found ways to speak to me in the most unlikely ways, but that's another blog. I think too we need to want to hear HIM.

We all have that thing called "selective hearing" - remember when Mom would call us to do some chore that we absolutely did not want to do? We found it easy to tune that right out! Remember how we could hear the things we LIKED to hear, the telephone ring when we were waiting for a call from our sweetheart (could run a marathon to get to that phone) that was before the age of cell phones! :-) Or remember the tune of the ice cream truck on a hot day even when it was still 7 blocks away!? I guess we need to make God's voice one of our "selections" is what I'm trying to say. He loves to be "selected" by us.

I love to listen to people and their stories - I know now that it is a gift I can give others - to LISTEN to them. I do listen and respond to women all over the country who reach out in painful circumstances looking for answers as they struggle with abuse in their relationships. They are looking for someone to listen to them and hear their anguish. God loves to listen to us too. If we desire Him to speak to us - He will - it will not always be what we want to hear but He will speak!

I don't know where this blogging will lead - but now at least I have begun. It is my prayer that you too will hear God speak to you no matter where you are or what is going on in your life, because He does still speak! Are you listening?

"Speak, Lord, your servant is listening." 1 Samuel 3:9
Joyfully,
Joy
http://www.joy-bringer-ministries.org/