Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
I have always been interested in different types of instruments, everything from the piano to a trumpet, but one afternoon I decided to make a special homemade instrument out of wood. I went out to the backyard and cut down a one and a half inch diamond willow, and cut a piece about 6 inches long right out of the middle of it. Then I drilled a hole about the size of your thumb lengthwise down the center of it, leaving it closed on one end. Next to the open end, I cut out a notch with a little hole on top, and then closed up the remaining hole with a short round plug of wood. I glued it permanently in place, leaving a tiny little slit that you could blow air through. It took about an hour of fine-tuning, and some of the air holes needed to be cut just a little bit larger, but when I was finally done, that fresh piece of diamond willow produced a warm resonating sound, just like a loon that you would hear while swimming on the lake. With a little bit of practice, you could make all kinds of different sounds. Just like playing a harmonica, if you cupped your hand over the top of the hole, and quickly lifted it up and down, it sounded exactly like the cry of a loon. After I was all done, I drilled a tiny hole in the end and attached a small rawhide shoelace, and kept it hung up by the front door. I always called it the loon flute, just a piece of diamond willow, and a little bit of glue that produced a simple musical toy that provided many years of enjoyment for all of my children.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Whenever I blew that loon flute when I was fishing on the lake, the loons would pay attention and quickly respond back to me. When they heard me playing my flute, they would begin to swim even closer, drawing nigh to the sounds that were so familiar to them. Creatures seem to understand when you are speaking their language, and so do the children of God, because those who are truly of God are going to listen very intently, when they hear the familiar sounds of the Everlasting Word of God.
John 8:47 (KJB) He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
Over the years, I have watched numerous documentaries about the many different calls that hunters will use to attract animals. For example, a waterfowl hunter will call out to geese from their blind, and draw them in closer by using a goose call. An elk Hunter will do the same thing by using something called a bull bugle, which is a sound that is easily recognized by a mature bull elk. Even shepherds have special calls for their flocks, and when many of them are drinking at a watering hole, as soon as they hear his familiar sound, they will separate themselves from the rest of the sheep, and walk slowly over to him. Likewise, those who are of God, are going to perk up their ears, and listen very closely to the Spiritual teachings that are found throughout the King James Bible.
John 10:27 (KJB) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
As we draw nearer to the return of Christ Jesus, there are going to be many people who are going to turn their ears away from the Truth. A lot of them will adamantly profess that they are Christian, but at the same time will close their ears to the teachings and the doctrines of our faith. They only prove by their own actions that they really are not the sheep of God.
2 Timothy 4:2-4 (KJB) Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
For these people the Truth of Scripture is not going to sit very well in their ears, and just like an itch that they cannot scratch, they will reject the discomfort of Holy Writ in order to listen to lies instead. Rather than listening to the rebukes and corrections from sincere men of God, they will open their arms and choose false prophets instead, who prophesy lies, and tell them exactly the things that they want to hear.
Isaiah 30:9-10 (KJB) That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
Jeremiah 29:19 (KJB) Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD.
This world is filled with all kinds of people who claim to be followers of Christ Jesus, but they really have no desire to listen to biblical Truth and amend their ways. They might look like sheep, but sincere sheep of God are going to listen and obey the commands of the shepherd.
John 18:37 (KJB) ……Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
Those who cannot hear the Word of God, are certainly not of God, no matter how much they might claim to be.
John 8:43-44 (KJB) Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
1 John 4:5-6 (KJB) They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
It was always fun to watch the loons each time that they heard the sounds of my little wooden instrument. Creatures can understand when you are speaking their language, but so can the sheep of God. God’s children will listen very closely to the Words of God, and pay close attention to its guidance and correction. They will gather round and draw nigh just like all of those beautiful water birds, every time that they heard,…
…….My Loon Flute
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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