Remember the old two way radios? You know the kind that had a button on the side to allow one person to transmit while the other person listened. If you ever used one of those radios as I did for many years on the job, it can be very annoying when the other guy fails to use proper etiquette. I am guilty myself but you are supposed to use short transmissions to allow the listener to respond to the transmission to avoid missed communications. Some people in my experience key the mike and transmit way too long. It has been years since I had to use a two-way radio but sure the rules are still the same. Short transmissions followed by an ending saying “over” to signal the listener that it is their turn to speak. I have often wondered why God gave us two ears and only one tongue. Perhaps, it was to give us the ability to hear twice as much than speak? I do not believe it was for esthetic value so your sun shades and hat look cool. Do you? It may not be scientifically proven but I suspect we all tend to want to speak way more than we are prepared to listen. Perhaps, that is why we have so much miss-communication now. We all seem to be keying the mike trying to transmit instead of using our God given gift of listening to hear the “real” message. What is best? Hear with two ears first or speak with one tongue. Hebrews 12:25 says, “See to it that you don’t resist the one who is speaking.” Moses was so terrified and shaking from God’s words that he found his voice to speak only after he heard the message loud and clear. Is it best to speak first or to listen first? Perhaps, if we learn the art of listening first when we do finally speak the words we speak will be filled with wisdom. It take practice I know but it is worth the effort to listen with the intention to understand the one who is speaking then speak what He calls us to deliver. I encourage you to read more in Hebrews 12 and while you are at it, read Luke 13 about a woman who was listening to Jesus teaching on the Sabbath and was healed because of her faith. Listen first to hear the message then use your tongue to share the good news every day.
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Listen to my brief message below if you have time.