June 1

Jun 1 - Today from Proverbs 1 we look at verses 20 & 21
"Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech."

And from John 10;3,4 - "He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice."
Wisdom and the Good Shepherd. They have a lot in common. They both call out to their followers, but they never force their followers to follow. Followers respond because they recognize the voice of the one in whom they trust. But there is another issue here which begs us to look more closely; they both call out in the midst of lots of noise and many other voices. The followers must then train themselves to detect the voice of the trusted one who calls out to them.

The four year old was fascinated by all the sights, sounds and colors of the carnival; Hawking vendors, flashing lights, loud music, people everywhere. And, there were wonderful rides awaiting at almost every turn; Little boats floating in circles, miniature cars he could drive himself, painted ponies on the beautiful carousel, spinning seats that went round and round, up and down. So much to see! He turned to ask his mommy if he could ride on the little boats. . . she wasn't there! He quickly looked around for her familiar khaki shorts and leather sandals. She was nowhere to be seen. His lip trembled, panic began to set in. Suddenly - the sights and sounds that were so enthralling just a moment ago were now ominous and threatening. So many people talking and yelling. Older kids screaming on the bigger rides. Loud music, vendors hawking their fare. Then, in the midst of all that noise and turmoil, he heard a familiar voice. "MOMMY! "He cried out and ran toward the direction of her voice. He quickly spotted the khaki shorts and leather sandals that meant comfort and security. "Mommy!" he cried, as he jumped into her waiting arms.

How is a child able to discern the calling voice of a mother in the midst of all of the yelling, screaming and chaos? His little heart was trained to recognize that voice on a day to day basis in more intimate times when there were no crowds and chaos. How are Jesus' sheep able to detect His voice when they are all together in the pen with other flocks bleating and other shepherds calling out to their sheep? Their hearts were trained on a day to day basis in more intimate times when they were out in the quiet meadows alone. And how do the students of wisdom learn to detect the voice of the genuine in the midst of the clamor and noises of public opinion and philosophies of men? They learned her voice in quiet times of study, learning the principles of living life the way God meant it to be lived. Believers cannot isolate themselves from the world and its many confusing systems. But they can commit themselves to the disciplines of finding quiet times for devotions and meditation. It is in these times that they learn to discern the voice of the Genuine, so that when they are caught out in the hustle and bustle of a distorted world system and they are confronted with a 'suddenly' of life - one of those moments when you really need a word of wisdom, of comfort, of direction - they are able to pick that voice out above all the other voices.
Do you want to have Jesus' guidance in the stormy times of life? Then you need to spend intimate time with Him in the quiet times. Do you want to act with wisdom in the critical times in life? Then you need to learn and practice wisdom in the mundane times. The Lord doesn't demand discipleship of you so that He can have control of you. He seeks discipleship from you so that you can intimately know His voice, and that He might give guidance, power and protection when a 'suddenly' happens in your life. The Good Shepherd doesn't push - He leads. Follow Him. It is the training of a disciple.