Good evening brethren and Happy Sabbath!

What'd you say?

Have you ever been a part of a conversation, and been asked a question you couldn't answer?  Not because it was too difficult, but because for whatever reason, your mind had been wondering and you weren't really paying attention to what the other person had been saying?  Staring at them blankly, they might even ask you: Are you listening?

You're not the first

The truth is, we all do that from time to time.  I know I've been there... And while it is a bit rude, chances are, it's not going to end your friendship or cause any serious harm in life.  Normally, we can apologize and just ask the person to repeat what they were saying. However, not the same can be said of ever conversation we are a part of.  

In Revelation 1:3 (NKJV), we are told "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near."  John is given a strong message, or revelation, from Jesus Christ with a very plain warning: Pay attention!

An ongoing conversation

You and I are in the middle of a conversation.  Not with one another, but with God. He is having an ongoing conversation with us through His written word: The Bible!  Just as Christ pleaded with the 7 churches in John's time, He pleads with us:  Pay attention to the words of the Bible. It is God's message to us today, just as it was then, and there is much we must learn from it.  

Of course, just like a conversation we might have with one another, it requires not just the lip service of reading the words, or showing up to church each week, but the actual dedicated effort to understand and apply what God is teaching us.  As you sit down to read or hear God's word, it's a good idea to ask yourself: Am I listening?