HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 68
page A66
Communication continued
• PR O V E R B S 5 :1 3 | Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers? Why didn’t I pay attention to my
instructors?
Listening helps keep us accountable.
• PR O V E R B S 2 :1 , 9 | My child, listen to what I say. . . . Then . . . you will find the right way to go.
Listening is essential to good decision making.
• PR O V E R B S 8 :6 | “Listen to me! For I have important things to tell you.”
Listening keeps us from being closed-minded.
• E X O DU S 1 8 :2 4 | Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed his suggestions.
• J O B 2 9 :2 1 | “Everyone listened to my advice.”
Listening shows that we respect others. It honors the words of others. There is something
affirming about feeling that you’ve been listened to.
• PR O V E R B S 2 1 :1 3 | Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in
their own time of need.
Listening is more than hearing; it’s connecting with others. It helps us know where they are
coming from.
How do I really listen?
• G E NE S I S 4 4 :1 5 | “What have you done?” Joseph demanded.
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Listening involves asking questions. Joseph wanted to listen to how his brothers answered
this question, because their answer would reveal whether their hearts had changed.
• PR O V E R B S 1 5 :3 2 | If you listen to correction, you grow in understanding.
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Listening involves an openness to advice.
• PR O V E R B S 1 5 :2 8 | The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking.
Listening often involves talking less.
How can I best communicate with others?
• 2 C O R I NT H I A NS 6 :1 1 -1 3 | Oh, dear Corinthian friends! We have spoken honestly with you,
and our hearts are open to you. There is no lack of love on our part, but you have withheld
your love from us. I am asking you to respond as if you were my own children. Open your
hearts to us!
Be open and candid with each other, lovingly confronting issues that cause conflict. Develop
a humble heart that is open to honest feedback and change.
• G A L AT I A NS 6 :1 | Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin,
you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path.
• 1 T H E S S A L O NI A NS 2 :7 | As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some
demands of you, but instead we were like children among you. Or we were like a mother
feeding and caring for her own children.
Pay attention to and listen to the needs and struggles of those around you. When you
know there is a problem, especially when you know a fellow believer is caught in the habit
of a particular sin, get involved to show you care, being kind and gentle but firm in the
process. Then you will see the lines of communication open dramatically.
• I SA I A H 5 0 :4 | The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how
to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to
his will.
In any communication, you need the Lord’s wisdom and understanding. Seek it first.
• A C T S 2 3 :1 | Gazing intently at the high council, Paul began: “Brothers, I have always
lived before God with a clear conscience!”
Strive to have a clear conscience so that you will be credible and able to look others in
the eye.
• C O L O S S I A NS 4 :6 | Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have
the right response for everyone.