Today’s Scripture: Acts 2:42
But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does. – James 1:25
Think about the last airplane flight you took. When it came time for the flight attendant to impart the vital information about oxygen masks, exit doors, and the workings of your seat belt, how closely did you or your fellow travelers pay attention? Most people were probably knitting, reading, chatting–anything but listening to the attendant.
I’m usually just as lackadaisical, but there was one particular flight in which I hung on the flight attendant’s every word. I was flying from Bogota, Colombia, over the high, rugged peaks of the Andes Mountains, to Loma Linda, the Wycliffe Bible Translators jungle base. The airplane had gone into service in the 1930s and was not equipped with an automatic oxygen system for high altitude, so all of us on board were instructed in the use of the emergency oxygen system that might keep us alive. I not only listened and paid attention, I asked the steward questions to make sure I had it right.
In many ways, going to church on Sunday morning is like an airplane ride. You’ve heard it all before. You’ve sung the hymns a hundred times; the sermon topic is familiar. So your mind drifts, and you don’t really listen to the vital information passed along by the minister of Christ, the steward of the mysteries of God. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Ask God to give you the spirit of our early ancestors in the faith, who devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching. Ask the Lord to give you the same hunger God’s people exemplified when they gathered together to hear the Word of God expounded and hung on to every word. Be one of those who truly hears the Word.
Prayer
Lord, only You have the words of life. As I sit in church this Sunday, give me a passion for what I hear, and keep me from taking Your truth for granted. Amen.
To Ponder
“The words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times” (Psalm 12:6).
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