Skip to main content

The Ministry of Listening

The first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists in listening to them. Just as love to God begins with listening to His Word, so the beginning of love for other followers of Jesus  is learning to listen to them. It is God's love for us that He not only gives us His Word but also lends us His ear. So it is His work that we do for our brother when we learn to listen to him. Christians, especially ministers, so often think they must always contribute something when they are in the company of others, that this is the one service they have to render. They forget that listening can be a greater service than speaking.

Many people are looking for an ear that will listen. They do not find it among Christians, because these Christians are talking where they should be listening. But he who can no longer listen to his brother will soon be no longer listening to God either; he will be doing nothing but prattle in the presence of God too. This is the beginning of the death of the spiritual life, and in the end there is nothing left but spiritual chatter and clerical condescension arrayed in pious words. One who cannot listen long and patiently will presently be talking beside the point and be never really speaking to others, albeit he be not conscious of it. Anyone who chinks that his time is too valuable to spend keeping quiet will eventually have no time for God and his brother, but only for himself and for his own follies.

DEITRICH BONHOEFFER
(Source: Life Together)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Blessing of our Christian Identity

The prospect of my true identity being revealed in Christ on the last day means that I am not faced with the choice of either realizing and actualizing all the aspects of my self now or having them lie dormant forever. My identity can be messy, confusing, and even frustrating to me in the present in a way that does not signal an ultimate or final denial of who I am. By the grace of God I am what I am, and what I shall be has not yet been made known (1 Corinthians 15:10; 1 John 3:2). In a late modern culture that rhymes complete self-expression with authenticity and places a heavy burden on selves to become transparent and fully actualized, I know that as a Christian I need not be crushed by the obligation of having fully to express, or even fully to understand myself here and now. If I remain torn between different identities, if I remain frustrated by who I am until the moment of my death, I know that just like the carnivorous lion who will lie down with the lamb and yet be more lion ...
Post a Comment
KEEP READING →

Christian Unity

I profess myself to be of no party, and to love all of every party who love the Lord our saviour in sincerity. If they preach the truth in love, live as they preach, and are wise and watchful to win souls, and to feed the flock, I care not much whether they are called, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Church men, Kirkmen, or Methodists. I desire to rejoice in their success, on every side. I believe the zealots of all parties, pity or blame me, for my latitudinarian spirit, but the moderate and peaceable of all parties show me kindness.  In some of the great shops in London, there are several counters; and servants at each to attend the customers. If these servants are faithful and have their masters' interest at heart, they will not be jealous of each other, they will not affront the customers by saying 'Why do not you come to be served on my side of the shop? If they are all well served and pleased, it signifies not to which counter they come. Now what are we but servants of...
Post a Comment
KEEP READING →

God Cares for His Work

The usefulness of some is protracted, while others…are taken away early, that those who survive may see that the Lord can carry on His work without them. He who has the fulness of the Spirit will never lack instruments to carry on His work. He can raise them up as it were from the very stones. He can call the most unworthy persons, and bring them from the most unlikely places, to labour in His vineyard. Had it not been so, you would have never heard of me. From what a dung hill of sin and misery did he raise me, to place me among the princes of his people! Consider what I was, and where I was (in Africa) and you must acknowledge I am a singular instance of sovereignty and the riches of His mercy!   JOHN NEWTON  (Source: Wise Counsel, p370)  Newton makes a very good point that the Lord provides for His work. It's very easy for us to think that the work we do depends on us, when in fact everything depends on Him. It is humbling to know that God doesn't need any of us i...
Post a Comment
KEEP READING →