_SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT_
"_My sheep hear My voice!_"
--JOHN x. 19-30.
This is spiritual discernment. We may test our growth in grace by our
expertness in detecting the voice of our Lord. It is the skill of the
saint to catch "the still small voice" amid all the selfish clamours of
the day, and amid the far more subtle callings of the heart. It needs a
good ear to catch the voice of the Lord in our sorrows. I think it
requires a better ear to discern the voice amid our joys! The twilight
helps me to be serious; the noonday glare tends to make me heedless.
"_And they follow Me!_" Discernment is succeeded by obedience. That is the
one condition of becoming a saint--to follow the immediate call of the
Lord. And it is the one condition of becoming an expert listener. Every
time I hear the voice, and follow, I sharpen my sense of hearing, and the
next time the voice will sound more clear.
"_And I give unto them eternal life._" Yes, life is found in the ways of
a listening obedience. Every faculty and function will be vitalized when I
follow the Lord of life and glory. "In Christ shall all be made alive."
My Saviour, graciously give me the listening ear! Give me the obedient
heart.