PAY ATTENTION!!! LISTEN CAREFULLY!!

Proverbs 4
²⁰Pay attention, my child, to what I say. Listen carefully. ²¹Don't lose sight of my words. Let them penetrate deep within your heart, ²²for they bring life and radiant health to anyone who discovers their meaning. NLT

I believe these simple verses are among the most practical, as well as challenging and inspirational, that we will find anywhere in scripture. I wish I could grab hold of everyone and say, 'Please follow what these verses are actually saying and you will have found the secret of health and fulfilled living.' Note the following simple points about how we should relate to the Word of God and what the results will be:

1. Pay attention to the Word;
2. Listen carefully to the Word;
3. Don't lose sight of it, i.e., don't neglect it;
4. Let it penetrate deep within your heart;
5. If we do the above stated things the Word of God will bring life and health.

I bear personal testimony of the truthfulness of these simple words. Since 1951 I have given God's Word the absolute number 1 priority in my life. I have not looked for excuses to neglect prayer and the Word of God. I use the term "God's Word" meaning that I use the Bible as my primary source for receiving God's Word but I also use many secondary sources such as books about the spiritual life, uplifting Christian music, listening to sermons and teachings, etc. I have literally saturated my mind with the Word of God in one way or the other. I begin and end the day with God's Word in some form and review it as much as possible during the day as I can. I have done this always, even when I held a full time, fast-paced job. Sometimes I've used scraps of paper with thoughts written on them or listened to Christian music while working. When I'm riding the bus or waiting for someone I'll have some portion of the Word with me to feed on.

I sincerely believe that paying attention to God's Word, listening to it, reading it, memorizing it, and allowing it to penetrate every area of my life has made all the difference in the world to me. While I have followed a healthy lifestyle since I was around 15 I do not credit my good health and energy to that, as good as it is. I believe that God's Word gives life and health as nothing else could ever possibly do for the Word is the channel through which God imparts His life in all areas of human existence. This is so simple that most people ignore it and would rather make long pilgrimages to far away places to get a "magic elixir" or find some great religious guru to bless them, spend lots and lots of money looking for help in many places, etc., than to simply give God's Word the absolute priority in their lives.

John 6
⁶³It is the Spirit who gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. NLT

Romans 8
¹¹The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as he raised Christ from the dead, he will give life to your mortal body by this same Spirit living within you. NLT

Note in the above passages that the words of Jesus are spirit and life. The Spirit that raised Christ from the dead gives life to our mortal bodies if we will allow that Spirit to find its way into our lives and this comes largely through the Word for the Spirit and the Word go hand in hand. I truly can't praise God enough for the wonders of His plan of redemption, how it gives such tremendous opportunities to all of us to experience new life, and for the practical way that the Word of God ministers to my body, soul, and spirit everyday and increasingly so as the years go by.

Written by Tom Durst of Spokane WA
tomdurst1@msn.com

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