"My son, give attention to My words; incline your ear to My sayings"
Proverbs 4:20 NKJV
Over the next few days, let us take a look at ourselves - our own personal evaluation. People see us, listen to us but, what actually is their opinion of us. Do they like what they see and hear, as coming from God, or do they walk away thinking that they're not sure about us? So therefore, let us take this study in stages starting with:
DO WE LISTEN PROPERLY?
Solomon directs us to give attention to his words. In this busy world with things going on around us at great speed, it is easy to miss certain things that are being said. For instance, in an interview, counselling session or general meeting, we need to pay attention to what we are being told or asked. We tend to want to do all of the talking but, when we do this we are at risk of missing what is being said. One of Mark Twain's famous quotes was 'If we were meant to talk more than listen, we would have two mouths and one ear.' And it is true.
Therefore, paying attention to what is being said is very important. In a counselling situation, you may find the counsellor leaning forward very slightly and then reflecting back part of what you have said; hence 'incline your ears to my sayings.' This serves two purposes, it shows you that you are being listened to properly and, the counsellor is empathising with you. In many conversations we have, we are tempted to look out of the window when someone walks by, answer our mobile if it rings (I must take this). Look at our watch and generally showing the other person that you are not really listening to them.
So, Solomon insists that we 'give attention' to what you are hearing. We can tend to only hear a fraction of what is being said and then, when we walk away, turn round to someone who was with us and say, 'What did they say?' If there is no-one with you then you have missed out on something that may have been important. A good example of this was Eve in the garden. When challenged by the serpent about the fruit on the tree, she added to what God had said and told the serpent that they couldn't even touch the fruit, which was not true. She hadn't listened properly and it is likely that Adam hadn't either because, don't forget he was there with her as well.
It is vitally important that we sharpen up our listening skills and also, limit what we are hearing, such as malicious gossip, course jokes and change what comes out of our mouths Ephesian 4:29
If you are not born again and want to be, here I’ll below is a prayer of salvation:
'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.
In Jesus' Name. Amen'
Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.
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