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b'We live by a lake in the northwest. If we awoke from a twenty-year-long\\nnap, like in the story of Rip Van Winkle, and we didn\\u2019t know what month it\\nwas, we could guess by looking at the lake. Different seasons bring us\\ndifferent wildlife, mostly waterfowl. Canada geese drop in to rest each\\nspring and fall as they head north or south. They fill the skies, obeying\\nGod\\u2019s call to go where He has prepared a place. Later, white-backed\\nmergansers come in their dozens and stay the winter, chasing fish and\\nsnails that multiplied all summer. Round black coots, painted wood ducks,\\nand buffleheads all spend the late winter finding different food in and\\naround the lake. In summer, they\\u2019re replaced by gangly cormorants and\\ngreen-headed mallards with fluffy ducklings. Hummingbirds, swallows, and\\nwoodpeckers return too. Each is called here in their season to receive the\\nbounty God provides. They hear, trust, and come. \\u201cListen\\u201d is one of the\\nmost frequent commands in the Bible. In the NIV, the word \\u201clisten\\u201d appears\\nmore often than \\u201ctrust,\\u201d \\u201cpraise,\\u201d \\u201cobey,\\u201d and even \\u201cworship.\\u201d However, the\\nword \\u201clove\\u201d exceeds them all. As you listen for God\\u2019s call, listen\\nespecially for love. God invites us to trust His love for each of us, which\\nHe perfectly expressed in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. God the Father\\ntells us to listen to Jesus, who is God the Son (Mark 9:7). And as we\\nfollow Jesus, our loving God helps us to love one another. As you spend\\ntime in God\\u2019s Word and listen to the \\u201cgentle whisper\\u201d (1 Kings 19:12) that\\nHe speaks just to you, remember that the lake God has for you may be\\ndifferent from the one He has for your friends. Every year, I watch\\ndifferent geese fly past us for weeks. They don\\u2019t all stop by our lake\\nbecause they each get a unique call. Similarly, all Christians are called\\nby the same God, but our lives will not look the same. God has given us\\neach unique paths. And, as we listen to Him, we can trust that the God who\\ncares for the birds will also care for us. \\u2022 Rick Taylor \\u2022 How do we learn\\nto listen to God? If we know Jesus, the Holy Spirit is in us, reminding us\\nof everything Jesus has said and helping us discern God\\u2019s voice (John\\n14:26). We also need to talk to trusted Christians and help each other\\nanswer questions like: \\u201cDoes this agree with the Bible?\\u201d \\u201cDoes this glorify\\nGod the Father and God the Son(John 16:12-15)?\\u201d \\u201cDoes this bring the fruit\\nof the Spirit and hope (Galatians 5:22-23; John 10:10) or condemnation and\\nfear (John 3:17; Romans 8:1)?\\u201d \\u201cWho are trusted Christian mentors or peers\\nyou could talk to about this?\\u201d All creatures look to you to give them their\\nfood at the proper time. Psalm 104:27 (NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\n1Kgs.19.11-1Kgs.19.13|Matt.6.26|Mark.9.7|Ps.104.27'