PAYING ATTENTION

Paying Attention

Hebrews 2:1 says, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.”
Tonight, I want to talk about paying attention.
That is something many of us struggle with.
In fact, that is something I struggle with. My mom would tell you that!
But tonight, I want us to see what God can do when we truly pay attention to Him.
The first thing I want us to notice is this:

Paying Attention Has Rewards
In 1 Samuel 3, Samuel is lying down in the temple when the Lord calls his name.
Three times Samuel mistakes God’s voice for Eli’s voice. Finally, Eli realizes what is happening and tells Samuel that if the voice calls again, he should answer:
“Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth.”
Samuel listened.
Samuel paid attention.
And because he paid attention, God used him.
Before I continue, I want to make something clear. The things God was going to do would have happened one way or another.
The book of Esther reminds us of that truth.
Mordecai told Esther that if she refused to act, deliverance would still come from another place — but she had been placed where she was “for such a time as this.”
That is the reward Samuel received.
He got to be part of what God was doing.
God called Samuel to anoint Israel’s greatest king.
In 1 Samuel 16, God sends Samuel to the house of Jesse. One by one the sons pass before him until David is brought in — the shepherd boy, overlooked by everyone else.
And God says:
“Arise, anoint him: for this is he.”
Because Samuel paid attention and obeyed, he became part of God’s unfolding story.
And look what followed.
David brought the Ark of God back to Israel.
David’s son, Solomon, became known as the wisest king who ever lived.
And generations later, Jesus Christ came through David’s line.
Samuel’s obedience connected him to something far bigger than himself.
That is one of the rewards of paying attention to God.

Not Paying Attention Has Consequences
Most people know the story of Lot and Sodom.
Lot separated from Abraham and chose to live in Sodom.
When God determined to destroy the city, messengers came with a warning:
Get out.
Leave.
Do not stay.
Do not look back.
The messengers were clear.
But while they were escaping, Lot’s wife looked back.
And the Bible says she became a pillar of salt.
Now, I am not saying that if we fail to pay attention to God today He will immediately strike us down.
We live under grace.
But think about all the other consequences that come from ignoring God.
We may miss opportunities to witness to someone.
We may miss God’s direction.
We may miss blessings, ministry opportunities, or divine appointments.
There are consequences when we fail to pay attention to what God is saying.
Which leads me to my final point.

Paying Attention Isn’t Enough — We Must Also Obey
James 1:22 says, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
Samuel did not just hear God’s voice.
Samuel obeyed.
When God revealed His difficult message concerning Eli’s house, Samuel faithfully delivered it, even though he was afraid.
God used Samuel not simply because he listened — but because he obeyed.
Lot’s wife is another example.
Whether she heard the warning clearly or not, the important truth is that she did not obey.
And there are many more examples throughout Scripture.
Zacchaeus
In Luke 19, Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree because he wanted to see Jesus.
He paid attention.
But he did more than that.
When Jesus came to his house, Zacchaeus responded.
He repented.
He changed.
He committed to making things right.
And Jesus declared salvation had come to his house.
He did not just notice Jesus.
He obeyed Him.
Noah’s Neighbors
Everyone knows the story of Noah.
Jesus said in Matthew 24 that in Noah’s day people were eating, drinking, marrying, and living life as normal until the flood came.
I imagine Noah’s neighbors paid attention to what Noah was doing.
Surely they noticed the giant boat.
Surely they heard Noah’s warnings.
They probably joked about him.
Talked about how crazy he looked building that ark.
But paying attention was not enough.
They did not obey.
And the flood came.
Adam and Eve
Perhaps the most familiar example is Adam and Eve.
In Genesis 3, the serpent questioned God’s command.
Adam and Eve knew what God had said.
They heard the instruction.
They understood the warning.
But they did not obey.
And sin entered the world.
The consequences affected not just them — but all of humanity.
They paid attention to God’s command.
But they failed to obey it.
And that is the difference.
We must do more than hear God’s Word.
We must respond to it.
We must obey it.
That is why paying attention matters.
Because we never truly know whose life we are influencing — for good or for bad — until the impact unfolds.
Your obedience could point someone toward Christ.
Your disobedience could become a stumbling block.
So let us pay attention to what God is saying.
Let us listen carefully.
And let us do more than hear.
Let us obey.