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- Oct 26, 2007
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Then he added, "Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given--and you will receive even more. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them." Mark 4:24-25 NLT
Has someone you looked up to ever said things like, “Now, pay close attention here” or “Listen carefully”?
Maybe you were learning to work with power tools or fishing tackle. Maybe you were experimenting with brushstrokes on a canvas or clay on a potter’s wheel. Maybe you were learning to make lattes or flip pancakes. No matter the situation, the words “pay close attention” promised a higher quality picnic table, a larger catch, an engaging painting, durable bowl, or a tasty mocha.
Most people have been told at some point that good things happen when they listen more closely, when they pay attention to the details. When you trusted these people, you usually found their advice confirmed—the pleasures of life were more deeply satisfying.
Jesus told His followers “the closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given.” He understood the temptation in partial, preoccupied hearing. If you want the deeply satisfying pleasures the listening-life offers, ask God to help you hear the delight in every detail.
Prayer: Father, help me to walk the miles between hearing from a distance and listening more closely, so I will understand more deeply the satisfactions in knowing You.
Has someone you looked up to ever said things like, “Now, pay close attention here” or “Listen carefully”?
Maybe you were learning to work with power tools or fishing tackle. Maybe you were experimenting with brushstrokes on a canvas or clay on a potter’s wheel. Maybe you were learning to make lattes or flip pancakes. No matter the situation, the words “pay close attention” promised a higher quality picnic table, a larger catch, an engaging painting, durable bowl, or a tasty mocha.
Most people have been told at some point that good things happen when they listen more closely, when they pay attention to the details. When you trusted these people, you usually found their advice confirmed—the pleasures of life were more deeply satisfying.
Jesus told His followers “the closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given.” He understood the temptation in partial, preoccupied hearing. If you want the deeply satisfying pleasures the listening-life offers, ask God to help you hear the delight in every detail.
Prayer: Father, help me to walk the miles between hearing from a distance and listening more closely, so I will understand more deeply the satisfactions in knowing You.
