Shut up and pay attention!

“Hear, O sons, a father's instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight,”
-Proverbs 4:1

Okay everyone, shut up for a minute.

Seriously. When’s the last time you just listened? I’ve been around you; I know you don’t do it. I’ve seen you at meetings, giving your opinion about everything. I’ve seen you at church, talking about the flaws in the message. I’ve seen you with your family, where everyone is talking and not a word is heard. And you’ve seen me too.

As children, we learn to express ourselves long before we learn to be silent and attentive. We never seem to get that equation quite right. Can you imagine how many more words are spoken in this world than are heard?

Just today I was trying to speak to a customer about something, and she didn’t listen to a single word I said. It was fairly annoying, especially since she was complaining about something the law required me to do. But before I can get too annoyed, I have to wonder just how attentive I’ve been to others.

We have a big problem in this age with authority. The very word has a negative connotation now. Even Christians will often deny the right of the government to wield authority, or of church elders to hold them accountable for moral issues. “You can’t judge me” has become a common phrase even in sanctuaries.
We talk all day about the right to free speech. Which is great as things go, but what about the responsibility to listen?

Our desire to go our own way extends to the way we treat the Bible. Most Christians don’t read it at all. If they do, they ignore certain parts, saying those parts are cultural or doesn’t apply any more. We write books and blogs, justifying those low views of Scripture. We keep talking, so we don’t have to listen.

Solomon begins this section of Proverbs with, again, the call to listen. Pay attention, he is saying. This is important.

Authority is not a bad word. The right authority over our lives will save us from a thousand bad decisions and a thousand hurts. A good model of virtue will keep us from the wrong paths. A standard above us will draw us every upward.

Even Jesus, when He was on earth, placed Himself under the authority of the Father and Scripture. He studied the Word, learned it, and obeyed. When He was tempted, the Word provided His answers. When He was tested by the Pharisees, the Word gave Him His guidance.

He above us all could have claimed all the answers. In fact, He had them. But as an example for us, He walked in obedience to the Father. He listened, and He paid attention.

Have you been trying to go your own way in life? It may work for a while, but it won’t work forever. If it doesn’t catch up with you sooner, one day you’ll face death. And in death, there are only two paths – one that leads to God, and one that goes your own way. One that leads to life, or one you will stubbornly take to destruction.

Listen. Pay attention. This is a question of life and death. As a dying patient will put himself under the authority of a good physician, so should you place yourself under authority of He who can save you. Repent and believe, and you will be saved.