Ben Pettit

“Right voices=right choices”
- Heard Jentezen Franklin make this comment recently, got me thinking a lot about who’s speaking into my life-and how frequently…who’s speaking into yours? Are you listening?

This quote came from a Steven Furtick post and I couldn’t help but to think about and analyze it.

• Who do I let speak into my life?
• Who do you let speak into your life?
• Do you have certain people that you allow to penetrate your heart with truth?
• Is it possible that a lot of the time we are listening to the wrong voice?

I have a very few people I trust enough to speak into my life. I can probably put them all on one hand.

Secondly and maybe even scarier than that is this. What conversations have you had with others in the past, where you completely missed it. They gave you rights to encourage there heart and you discussed things that you never should have talked about. You dwelled on things of the flesh. I’m not going to spell this one out for you because you already know what it is. You know that you missed it.

I ask you today to let this living text breathe into your soul today. After reading each sentence stop. Just meditate on what it means. My life has been shaped this morning by reading this. Don’t rush sentence to sentence, really get a deep understanding of what it means and even more so, how you can live it out today.

1 Corithians 13 taken from biblegateway.com, amplified translation used.

 1IF I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such ^[a]as is inspired by God’s love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

    2And if I have prophetic powers (^[b]the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God’s love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody).

    3Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or ^[c] in order that I may glory, but have not love (God’s love in me), I gain nothing.

    4Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

    5It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].

    6It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

    7Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

    8Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. As for prophecy (^[d]the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth].

    9For our knowledge is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect), and our prophecy (our teaching) is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect).

    10But when the complete and perfect (total) comes, the incomplete and imperfect will vanish away (become antiquated, void, and superseded).

    11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I have become a man, I am done with childish ways and have put them aside.

    12For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as ^[e]in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand ^[f]fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been ^[g]fully and clearly known and understood [^[h]by God].

    13And so faith, hope, love abide [faith--conviction and belief respecting man's relation to God and divine things; hope--joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love--true affection for God and man, growing out of God's love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love.

What is Wednesday you ask?

I grew up in a minister’s family. Half of my life my Dad was bi-vocational, what does that mean you say? It means he did a full time job with part time pay. We never had money, so what? What does money matter anyway? I mean sure, everyone wants nice things, even me. BUT, how often do we let it consume us?

My prayer for myself and you the reader is this… That we would become consumed with giving every thing we have away.

Rick Warren from his enormous books sales has paid back his salary from Saddleback for the past 25 years and established 3 foundations. He now gives away 90% of his income and lives off of 10%. You would never hear about that in our liberal media though. You would rather hear slanders about pastors or hit and miss TV evangelist who are filthy rich.

So all that to say: You don’t have to have a lot of money, to do a lot of good. Sure Rick Warren has done some great stuff with his money, but who cares? What I mean is, good, good for him. Now what can we do better? It’s Wednesday, what can you do today, Wednesday, to better someone’s life? How can you love better? How can you give more? Who and how can you pour into people, today, Wednesday?

Here is a short list of some random ideas off the top of my head this morning:

• Take someone out to lunch and encourage them.
• Buy someone’s cup of coffee and have a meaningful conversation.
• Send your wife or girl friend flowers just to say this: It’s Wednesday and I love you.
• Buy or even better make, your husband or boy friends favorite dinner tonight.
• Visit the grandparents that you have been putting off seeing.
• Mow someone’s lawn for them.
• Grab the coffee pot at work on your break. Walk around cube world offer some coffee and an encouraging word.

Feel free to add any thoughts or ideas of your own as comments. I’d love to hear them.

Lord, I pray that we would put ourselves last. That we would fully become your servant so that others would see your love and compassion screaming through our bones. Lord let us constantly be advancing your Kingdom. We want to be vessels of your truth. Give us a hunger for your word like we have never felt before. The words of your mouth sustain us today. It’s Wednesday, today, Wednesday, speak through us, work through us, let us walk away from Wednesday changed.

UPDATE: I didn’t listen to Point of Grace’s country  song “How You Live” before I wrote this, but if you haven’t heard it, it makes for a nice invitational hymn.