Welcome to Part-3 of our September series, “Loud Ideas, Quiet Truth,” where we will explore 5 “loud” cultural ideas – widely held beliefs that everyone talks about —and learn how to think about them Biblically. Together we’ll see the quiet truth of the Bible—Scripture’s enduring relevance and stable power to meet the challenges of our loud world.

The purpose is not to explore each of these wide-ranging topics to their depths, but to broadly identify the world’s perspective on each idea, and then look to Scripture to understand it in God-honoring ways and to learn to speak about it confidently and faithfully. Consequently, we will see how applicable the Bible is to our everyday lives. 

So far, we’ve explored aesthetics and attitude.

Now we turn our attention to ATTENTION. 

Today, the real question is: what isn’t vying for our attention? It seems like everything is calling for us to give our time and energy to it. Of course, we all have good and necessary things we focus on (work, family responsibilities, church, service, etc.), but we also give our attention to a host of other random things (whether we realize it or not). A quick Google search came up with these statistics: 

An average adult:

• Watches 4-5 hours of television a day
• Spends 2 ½ hours a day on social media (and of course we all know how purposefully addictive social media is meant to be)
• Sees 4,000-10,000 ads a day
• Is on their phone about 4 ½ hours a day

Some days I feel like I live reactively instead of purposefully–letting every phone message, news alert, and next urgent task dictate what I focus on. And I wonder how often we let distractions, curiosity, FOMO (fear of missing out), and fast-paced living drive our attention instead of intentionally asking:

What should hold our attention?

Writing for Psychology Today, Dr. Willem Kuyken wrote, “Maybe this seems like a radical idea, but you can choose where to place your attention.” In the same article, he notes that attention can be trained. We don’t have to let our phones, technology, or our every whim dictate what we pay attention to. The world sometimes tells us the antidote is to pursue the Buddhist technique of “mindfulness” or the strategy of being aware, present, or acknowledging/accepting your thoughts and feelings. The Christian answer is never to pursue answers within ourselves. Here’s an article about that. It’s also not just about slowing down. We need to know what to focus on. Christians are called to use Scripture, along with self-control and wisdom, to focus on the right things.

I think especially after the string of sad and tragic national events of the last few weeks, we are all thinking about how fleeting life is and how important it is to spend our lives focused on Godly priorities and pursuits. We all want to live for what matters because the days are evil and short. So, Scripture’s call to be focused, alert, watchful, ready, and attentive rings all the more clear for us right now. Let’s explore a few key Bible passages to see what we should be paying attention to:

1. Pay Attention to Wisdom

”My son, if you receive my words

and treasure up my commandments with you,

making your ear attentive to wisdom

and inclining your heart to understanding;

yes, if you call out for insight

and raise your voice for understanding,

if you seek it like silver

and search for it as for hidden treasures,

then you will understand the fear of the Lord

and find the knowledge of God.” (Proverbs 2:1-5)

Proverbs repeatedly teaches us to make our ear attentive–or literally to “incline” our ears–to wisdom. In Hebrew, “incline” means to “prick up the ears.” It should give us the mental picture of deliberate, interested listening like a deer pricking his ears up in the forest when it hears something. What are we mostly listening to everyday? Is it the wisdom of Scripture? Wisdom is found first by having a right view of God (Prob 9:10) and learning to apply His Word to your life:

2 Timothy 3:16

“and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

Psalm 19:7

“The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple…”

We should always be ready to give our attention to the Word of God so we have the wisdom we need for life. And we should be regularly, earnestly praying for wisdom:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:5-8)

2. Pay Attention to Doctrine

“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” (Hebrews 2:1)

We do not naturally stay the course. We drift; we are led astray by everything from busyness to problems. This is why Paul echoes the teaching in Hebrews to his spiritual son, Timothy. He writes in 1 Timothy 4:16 (NASB):

“Pay close attention to yourself and to the teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” 

The NIV translates the beginning of this verse as: “watch your life and doctrine closely.” We have to put effort and intention into making sure we know and understand the doctrines of our faith. We need to be able to articulate the truths taught in Scripture and ensure that our lives conform to that truth. It will not just “naturally” happen without our deliberate dedication (read: attention) to it. 

3. Pay Attention to the Reality of Christ’s Return

“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:42-44)

Christians must prepare for Christ’s imminent return by being vigilant (attentive) and holy. This requires that we give our attention to spiritual things and order our lives according to Christ’s instructions and example.

“The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.” (1 Peter 4:7)

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness…” (2 Peter 3:11-12)

Peter instructs us to be found in holiness and godliness if Christ were to return today–or right this very moment! Think:

• Prayer
• Kingdom Work (the Great Commission, discipleship, service, etc.)
• Practicing the Fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control-Gal 5:22-23)
• And being obedient to Christ and Scripture (1 John 5:1-5) …

“And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.” (1 John 2:28-29)

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2-3)

The bottom line: the Bible gives us clear direction about what to pay attention to. As children of God, we find our lives full of meaning, purpose, and hope as we attend to the right things.

May the Lord help us to be attentive to His will and purposes this week!