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b'READ: PSALM 66:16-20; JAMES 1:19-27; 3:13-18\\n\\n\\n\\nSometimes our orchestra would split into ensembles. In these smaller groups, we\\u2019d sit down with our sheet music, then all start at the same speed, or tempo. But sometimes, it didn\\u2019t stay that way for long. Soon the cello had sped up, the violin had slowed down, the bass was too loud, and the viola was ready to quit from sheer exasperation. The song did not sound like music.\\n\\n\\n\\nSo, how did we get the song to sound\\u2026like a song? We had to learn to listen to each other. Our director taught us to know our sheet music so well that we could look up at each other while playing. She trained us to tune our ears to the music. When we focused on listening to the instruments around us, our fingers and arms would naturally adjust. When we started to feel like we were off, we\\u2019d make eye contact, and pretty soon we\\u2019d be playing together again.\\n\\n\\n\\nOf course, this didn\\u2019t always work. After all, we were still learning! Sometimes we\\u2019d get lost, and we\\u2019d have to stop, laugh it off, and talk about what went wrong. After listening to one another\\u2019s explanations so we could understand how all our parts fit together, we\\u2019d try again.\\n\\n\\n\\nThis reminds me of living as a Christian\\u2026with other Christians. Throughout the Bible, God calls us to listen to each other. Because, even if we know Bible verses like the back of our hand, if we aren\\u2019t open to hearing and learning from others\\u2019 perspectives, and if we aren\\u2019t sensitive to each other\\u2019s needs, how can we obey God\\u2019s second-greatest command: to love each other (Matthew 22:36-40)? But we can also fall to the opposite extreme. We might be listening to others, but if we aren\\u2019t spending time in God\\u2019s Word for ourselves, learning what He says and wrestling with the sections that don\\u2019t come easily to us, how can we play the songs of God together? It would be like trying to play in an ensemble without ever learning the sheet music.\\n\\n\\n\\nThankfully, God hasn\\u2019t left us to figure things out alone. After Jesus died, rose again, and ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit came to live inside us, His followers. The Holy Spirit helps us understand the Bible and empowers us to care about others and humbly listen to their thoughts, sensibilities, and needs. Instead of trying to follow God in our own strength and wisdom, God invites us to lean on Him and support each other. Together, we can make beautiful music. \\u2022 Hannah Howe\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2022 Can you think of a time when listening to others helped you understand God\\u2019s Word and/or follow His good ways? What happened?\\n\\n\\n\\nCome and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. Psalm 66:16 (NLT)'