And with it comes such a feeling of joy and fulfillment in doing what God has planned for you to do.

But to get there, you have to make Jesus your Savior and your Lord. Both. He can’t be one without the other. We make Him our Savior when we acknowledge that we need saving. We make him our Lord when we make Him our first priority. He has to be; if He’s not ruling over us, then something else is. Maybe it’s a need for love and approval that rules our life. Or anxiety. Or a desire for power and success. They can all take over our lives if we allow them.

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)

Are you listening for the voice of Jesus? Do you know His voice?

Is your knowledge of Him first-hand, or is it only second-hand? What I mean is - do you have your own experiences with Jesus, or are you just caught up in others’ experiences with Jesus? We listen to our friends’ Jesus stories, and we love to read books by our favorite authors about their spiritual journeys. But when do we get to know Jesus ourselves? Not through the filter of others, but one-on-one.

Psalm 1 tells us the key to knowing God is to delight in his Word. His Word is living and through the work of the Holy Spirit, it is life-giving and life-transforming. “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” (1 Peter 1:23)

“When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight…”(Jeremiah 15:16a)

Through prayer and careful study and meditation on God’s Word, we hear His voice. But to follow Jesus, we need to respond. To obey.

What is He calling you to do? What desire is He putting on your heart? Don’t be afraid of what you are hearing. Don’t dismiss it, or put it off. Step out in faith, and know the joy that can come from obedience.

Jesus, our Lord and Savior, give us a yearning to know You better. A yearning to know you more personally. Revive in us an appetite for Your Word, and the strength and courage to respond to Your call to follow You. Amen.