Someone sent me an email telling me how much they appreciated “MORNING MANIA”. Are you paying attention? They weren’t. Had they been paying attention they would have noticed that it is “Manna”, not “Mania”. I don’t mention this to rebuke them, I deeply appreciate their kindness and I needed a good laugh. I’m simply using this to point out the need to pay attention. In a case like this it is no big deal, but in some cases it can be serious.
Thousands die in car wrecks every year because someone wasn’t paying attention. The latest craze among teens is to “text” while they are driving. There has already been several fatalities as a result of this. Using a cell phone while you are driving is bad enough, I can’t even imagine how anyone could think they can drive safe while sending a text message!
We could probably think of a 1001 applications that could be made in regards to the importance of paying attention, but I want to mention just one—we need to pay attention to God. When He speaks, and He does everytime the Bible is read, we need to pay attention, to listen carefully. Not paying attention to God leads to a lot of confusion and it can be deadly. We cannot afford to miss what God says. Whether it is a warning, a promise, a command, or counsel we need to know what God is saying.
Sadly our bad habit of not paying attention often carries over into our spiritual life. Some people sit through a church service looking straight ahead, as though they are listening, but their mind is in a place far far away. That reminds me of my childhood days ,as I stared out the window, day dreaming while the teacher was trying to teach. That might cause you to fail a class, but not listening to God can cause you to fail in life. When we stand before the Lord to give an account of ourselves, saying, “I wasn’t paying attention” will not be an acceptable excuse for our failure. THINK ABOUT IT!
