Listening in Church

Bible Reading:  I Samuel 3:1-10

Key Verse: Verse 10 - “And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

Key Words:  Speak; for thy servant heareth

Most of us were born with the ability to hear, but none of us were born with the ability to listen.  Listening is a skill and an art to be cultivated.

Dr. Ralph Nichols, considered by many to be an authority on the subject of listening, believes that we think four times faster than we speak.  This means that if a speaker speaks one hundred words a minute, the audience or class thinks about four hundred words a minute.  The difference offers a strong temptation for the listener to take a “mental break” to think about the ballgame last night or the one tonight, to think about the spend-the-night party the girls are having, to think about problems on the job, or to think about the bills that must be paid, etc.  This brings up the seldom-mentioned secret of successful communication.

There are two keys to successful communication whether in class or from the pulpit.  First, the one speaking must speak well and be well-prepared.  Second, the one who listens must listen well.  Both are hard work and not automatic.

Some keys to successful listening would be...

1. Don’t assume the subject is dull, (Often where a topic is concerned, we automatically assume that the subject doesn’t apply to us and we turn the speaker off.)
2. Don’t criticize before hearing the speaker out, (All speakers have faults and if you focus on them, you will miss something which profits you.)
3. Don’t let your prejudices close your mind, (For example, if a pastor preaches on tithing and you do not tithe, you automatically shut him out by saying, “He doesn’t understand my financial plight.”) and
4. Don’t be a “bad” spiritual listener.  Good spiritual listening requires three things.

1. First, see if you can guess where the speaker is going.
2. Secondly, require something of yourself to make yourself listen, i.e. take notes.
3. Listen for personal application.

I Samuel 3:10, “And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel.  Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.”

Now, go to church and be a good listener.  Amen?

  

What to do: 

✞Apply the principles listed in the devotion.

                                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse