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Hearing a Different Voice

                The term “early adopter” is applied to those who take to new ideas very quickly. 
                I am not one of those people! 
When I go out for breakfast, I order the same thing every time.  I have been a Toronto Maple Leafs fan my entire life.  Green has always been my favourite colour.  When I find something that I like, I stick with it.
                Speaking of favourites, did you know that most people have a favourite method for reading and understanding scripture?  Simply stated, we look for commands.  We like passages that tell us to do or think something, or to stop doing and thinking those things.  That is why most Christians like the book of James more than Revelation.  James is easy to understand and apply, while Revelation is not.
                 There is nothing wrong with having favourites.  Looking for commands is a good way to read the word.  However, if that is the only approach we use, we will miss a lot of other important teaching.  Take, for example, Jude 24 which says, “To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy”.  There are no commands in this verse, but there is a lot of good news.
                Jude says that God is able to keep us from stumbling.  We often teach that “walking in the light” (I John 4) is our responsibility.  However, Jude says that if we make it to the end, it will only be because we had God’s help.  God is also the one who makes us blameless and faultless.  While we need to avoid sin, being “perfect as your heavenly father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48) is impossible on our own.  If we could do that, Christ would have died for nothing.  Lastly, notice the overriding attitude of joy.  When I focus on myself, all I get in return is worry and fear.  I am always questioning whether I am good enough or have done enough.  When I focus on God’s grace and mercy, all I can do is rejoice and be happy about the gift that he has given me.
                It is good to listen for the voice that says, “Do this”, but it is essential that we hear the one that says, “God is able to do this for you”.

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