Pay attention - Part one

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"And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, 'Look at us.' So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them."  Acts 3:4 - 5 NKJV (Read the whole chapter)

This man had been lame from birth and daily was laid at the gate Beautiful to beg for money. He knew nothing else. When Peter spoke to him, he gave them every bit of his attention because he thought he was going to receive some cash. But what he did receive was his healing and a life changing experience.

In verse 5 there are some very important points to consider:

HE GAVE THEM HIS ATTENTION. This is what Jesus wants us to do - to fully give him our attention without the distractions of the world around us, taking away our focus. We must find a time and a place to spend time alone with Him - for our own preservation. God has so much He wants to show us. He's our friend. If we have a friend and don't speak to him or her and you don't meet together, how long is that friendship going to last. Friendships don't usually survive this type of behaviour. With God, He wants to spend time with us, listening to our problems and receiving our praise and adoration.

EXPECT TO RECEIVE FROM HIM. God has so much to give us and tell us and we need to get into a place where we can receive this from Him. He wants us to receive His love and friendship, after all, He created us and we are his children. You want to spend time with your children, don't you? You want to give them all your love and attention too. Well, God is the same. He's our Father and longs to be with us everyday. Tony Campolo says it's almost like God carries a photo around of us and can't wait to show someone a pic of His children. I can't back that up, but I feel God is very much like this.

GET INTO POSITION. God has so much that He wants us to know and He wants to share it with us. However, we need to get into position in order to hear from Him. Quite simply, how we do that is to determine a set time (if this is possible) to read your bible and pray. Don't just rush in and bombard Him with, 'I want, I need, NOW!' He'll listen and probably answer you. But it is far better to grab a cup of coffee and spend a 'Quiet time', with Jesus. Praise Him, play a worship CD and sing along with it or just listen - praising Him. Laying flat out on the floor may seem alien to you or someone else if they see you. But it's a wonderful way of showing God that we submit to Him.
After you've praised and worshipped him for a while, read the bible. It helps if you read it in conjunction with a daily reading - such as this, or one that suits you better. Allow God to speak to you; speak back to Him. Let Him love you and take the burdens from your heart and shoulders. Pray, pray and pray some more. But, listen, listen and listen also. He doesn't speak in a loud audible voice but one in which you feel inside your heart that He is speaking to you. He may speak to you through a bible reading and you'll know without doubt that this is for you.

Give it a try. Tomorrow in part two, we'll look at this a little deeper. Have a great day and be blessed.


If you would like to contact me, email dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com or leave a comment