Choosing WisdomSample

PAY CLOSE ATTENTION

Mark 4:24–25 (NLT)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.”

Mindful Minute

I remember when I first became a believer. It was late in life, around 32 years old. I opened the pages of the Bible for the first time, and those pages came alive. It was like God speaking directly to my heart. There was so much wisdom in the words I was reading, and my heart’s desire was to follow Him and find the peace, despite my horrid circumstances, that surpassed all understanding.

I would pay close attention to what I was reading, just as today’s Scripture tells us to do. And I would listen. I would trust Him for the answers in my life. I would walk with Him every minute of every day and understand that this was what He wanted me to do.

This was a time in my life when there was great turmoil. I was pregnant with my second child, and my then-husband had moved out of the house. God stood with me and granted me peace when, humanly speaking, there should have been none. And then my prayers were answered. My husband came back home, and life became what I had hoped for and prayed for.

Back into daily life I went. Eventually, and slowly, my time in daily devotion with my Heavenly Father lapsed. My time at church waned, and the Word of God I had clung to faded into the deep recesses of my mind.

I would no longer rely on Him for my peace. And eventually, all areas of my life began to see the impact, and not in a good way. Because I stopped listening, the understanding I once had of God’s Word was taken away, just as this verse warns us.

Prayer

Father, I desire to pay closer attention to your voice and your Word. I want to receive greater understanding and wisdom in my life. I commit to paying closer attention on a daily basis and listening to your voice and your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.