PASTOR’S POINT
“In
those days, the Word of the Lord was rare…” (1 Samuel 3:1) There was no
vision—God was still on the air, but few had tuned in!
There is one interview with a pro football player that stands out in my mind as
we think of tuning into God. This player tells a sports writer why he chose to
go to a certain city to play ball. He was honest enough to say that God spoke
to him.
“In other
words,” he said, “I talk to God.”
This man was Reggie White. Reggie White
was probably the greatest defensive end of all time, but as great as he was on
the field, he was that much greater off the field. You see, besides being an NFL All
Pro almost every year after his rookie year, he was also an ordained pastor–
that’s where he got his nickname, "The Minister of Defense".
After playing many years with the Philadelphia Eagles he became a free agent
and could have easily signed with any team he wished. And he had several offers
that would have made him a very rich man.
But when
decision time came, White shocked the football world and many of his friends by
signing with a team that was located in the smallest city of all the National
Football League franchises – the Green Bay Packers. The reporter who was
conducting the interview asked White how he had reached his decision to play
for the Packers. And this is what White said, "I spent a lot of time
praying about this." "And one
day as I prayed, I heard God say, ‘Reggie, go to
But
when you say that God talked to YOU, then they think
you’re crazy or something! Isn’t prayer supposed to be a conversation with God?
And in a conversation, don’t BOTH parties talk?"
Throughout the Bible you will find men and women who share their story of how
God spoke to them. The key to hearing the voice of the Lord had to do with
their willingness to tune-in to God’s voice. There are also many instances in
the Bible where individuals tuned God out. These people didn’t want to listen
to what God was telling them so they changed the station.
There once were two men of God…one became God’s honorable spokesman because he
tuned-in to God whereas the other one tuned God out and paid the price of his
actions and died in dishonor. The two: Eli the fallen priest and Samuel the
Prophet of God. One man was a failure & the other man successful. One
finished poorly and the other finished strong. One tuned out /the other tuned
in …
God has a
plan and a purpose for our lives, in that He calls us, and that CALL becomes
our vocation in life, maybe not our profession, but always our vocation. For EVERY believer, it’s a call to the
Christian life. WE ARE ALL CALLED…THE
QUESTION IS: ARE WE LISTENING?
God was
calling Samuel, who was being trained by Eli, the high priest. I found it
interesting that it took 3x’s before Eli finally
realized that God was speaking to Samuel. I mean, Eli’s supposed to be a mature
believer here. He of all people should have recognized God’s voice.
But Eli,
along with his sons, had wandered away from God years before. He had tuned Him
out and forgotten what it was like to hear God calling. He was too busy listening to all the other
stations of that day; Stations like materialism, self-indulgence, pride. By
living an immoral and impure lifestyle, Eli, figuratively speaking, stuck his
head in the sand and tuned out God more and more and more, until it ultimately
destroyed his life, his family’s life, and eventually
The truth
is, if we fail to stay tuned-in to God, it will affect our lives too; our
families, our churches, and even our nation, as we can see in our society even
today.
In the
end, Eli died in dishonor and disgrace, and in the process,
And God
has not stopped using people who are tuned-in, to help restore his kingdom and
to help him bring change and transformation back into people’s lives.
A number of years ago, Bill Cosby did a routine where he was Noah and God was
talking to him about building the ark. Cosby wanted to know who he was talking
to. “IT’S THE LORD, NOAH!” Yeah, right! said Cosby.
--- How do WE know when it’s God who’s talking? There are 3 tests we can
use to determine if it is really God who is speaking. And that’s very
important, because we don’t want another voice, even our own, to lead us
astray, to lead us down the wrong path.
First, Does the voice point us to Jesus Christ?
--- does the voice direct us to the cross of Christ and the resurrection, to
forgiveness, or to God’s promises?
Second, Does it contradict scripture? You know whether
it’s God or not because God never asks us to do something that goes against the
principles in scripture. If the voice is urging us to gossip or talk negatively
about someone, or hold onto grudges and unforgiveness,
it’s not from God. The scriptures tell us to love one another, encourage,
support and forgive.
And
Lastly, Is it compelling you to do something that glorifies God or glorifies
yourself? Is the
call going to result in your benefit or is it going to benefit others and
ultimately glorify God? Reggie White had awesome opportunities presented to him
because of his status as a pro football player. But it wasn’t football that
made the man. It was his commitment to God. Coach, Mike Ditka,
said this about Reggie: “As great as
Reggie White was as a player, what I remember the most is that he was the best
example of what being a pro athlete is all about. He was pure class on and off
the field. He was always tolerant of his opponent and never tried to hurt or
embarrass anyone. I loved him as a player and I loved him even more as a
person."
Reggie was tuned-in
to God and God used him, not only on the field but off as well. He touched many
people’s lives with his love for others and his passion for God. Reggie’s
profession may have been football, but his vocation was being God’s servant and
sharing God’s love and message with everyone he met.
God calls us into
the Christian life to be witnesses and examples of His power and grace. And his
call will take us many places. How will we answer His call? Will we be like Eli and tune Him
out? Or will we be like Samuel, tuned in, saying, “Speak Lord, for your servant
is listening. Here I am, send me!”
Have a
great day in the Lord,
Agape, Pastor