Are You Listening?

     When I was a kid I had this horrible habit of running in and out of the house and leaving the door open.  A habit which drove my parents crazy.  My parents told me that if I left the house again and left the door open, I would get a spanking.  Sometime later, I was caught by my dad leaving the house with the door open again.  Well he spanked me and I remember it being an especially effective one.  After laying on the floor for some time crying, I got up and left the house WITH THE DOOR OPEN!
     I was guilty of doing something that children do quite often: HEARING WITHOUT LISTENING!  In that moment, I didn't disobey my parents imperative because I was being rebellious, but because I was being careless.
     Listen to what Hebrews 2:1 says: "So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it."  I find this verse very intriguing. It says to listen very carefully to the truth we have heard. How do you listen to something you have already heard?
     Listening and hearing are obviously two completely different actions.  Our ears hear things all the time but we are not really listening.  There are millions of people in our world who have heard the truth of God's word again and again but have never really listened to it.
     Listening means more than just your ears picking up sounds.  Listening means you have processed what you have heard and are willing to take action upon what you have heard.  The writer of Hebrews is speaking to people who have obviously heard the truth of God's word but he is instructing them to listen very carefully.
     I believe God wants to speak to us continuously, but are we willing to take the time and energy to listen very carefully?  It is crucial that we listen.  The writer of Hebrews says that if we don't listen very carefully to the truth we have heard we may drift away from it.
     Just like my childhood disobedience, people don't drift away from the truth out of rebellion but out of carelessness.  People in rebellion against God run away, people who are careless drift away.  Which I believe is even more dangerous than rebellion because we may not ever be aware that it is happening.
     So I challenge you today, to listen very carefully to the truth.  Maybe you don't remember the last time you read the Bible.  I dare you to open it and allow God to speak to you.  Maybe God will speak to you through another person, through difficult circumstances or through your day to day activities.
     Whatever it is just please listen very carefully!