Dispatch (Assignment): Read Deuteronomy 9:1 - 10:22, Luke 8:4-21, Psalm 69:19-36, and Proverbs 12:2-3.

Briefing: If you are working on the disappearance of someone and your suspect keeps referring to them in the past tense, that is a clue. Listening is a very valuable skill for the law enforcement officer.

On the Street: (Luke 8:15-18) Jesus gives a gold nugget of wisdom in this passage that sounds so simple but is actually not that easy. In short, Jesus says that things hidden will be revealed, the truth will come out. Then He says, "Consider carefully how you listen." He does not say "listen for the truth," He says consider HOW you listen. Are there different ways of listening? Do you listen to background music (white noise) the same way you listen to your dispatcher give a description of a shooting suspect? How well do you pay attention to specific words that are used or the lack of a direct answer when you ask someone a question? Active listening is a skill, and with all perishable skills, it has to be practiced and maintained.

Now that we have stopped and given our attention to the words of Jesus, let us see what comes next. "Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them." "Whoever has", has what? Before Jesus told us to stop and listen, He was talking about light. If you have the light of Christ, your light will become brighter.

People who claim to be Christians but have no real fruit coming from their lives need to beware, "whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them." Time for a self-check; is there obvious fruit coming from your life? Is the light of Christ showing through your actions and words?

Investigational Resources: James 1:19, "...Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry," Proverbs 1:5, "let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance".

Officer Safety Principle: Jesus' lesson applies to how law enforcement officers listen but the more important message He was giving was to listen to His words of truth, read the Bible, and pay attention to what you read.

©2022 by Charles Gilliland. Used by permission.
All scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise noted.
The One Year Bible © by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

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