John 10:3-5 3“To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.4 “When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 “A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” (NIV)
How good are we at listening? In the personality tests that we took a few weeks ago, three of those personalities have a problem with listening. It is important to know that, just because we have a problem with listening and understanding does not mean we cannot do it. Rather, it takes more time and discipline to accomplish it.
We need to listen to the voice of Jesus. We need to be very familiar with the sound of his voice, so as to differentiate it from all others, especially those who want to lead us astray. Jesus is telling us that it is the sheep’s responsibility to recognize the voice of the Shepherd. Sheep may not be the smartest animals in the animal kingdom, but at least they are smart enough to know who is leading them. I believe Jesus wants us to be the same when it comes to listening to Him or to the voice of the world.