Jump Start # 1840

1 Timothy 4:16 “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; preserve in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

Our verse today comes from Paul’s powerful reminder to young Timothy concerning his role as a preacher. Earlier in this section he tells the Timothy to be an example to the believers (12). He tells him to give attention to the public reading of Scripture (13). He is told to not neglect the gifts given to him (14). He is to grow in such a way that his progress is evident to all (15). Then comes our verse, “pay attention to yourself and to your teaching…”

There are several wonderful things we find here.

First, Pay attention to yourself. Paul tells us why at the end of this very verse. By paying attention to yourself and your teaching you will insure salvation for yourself. This tells us that we must take ownership of our souls. It’s not the church’s job to save me. God can only do His part. At the end of the day, it’s up to each of us.

And what a great way to express this in the words, “Pay attention.” Parents have said that to their kids as they have tried to have a serious talk with them. School teachers have had to say this to their class. Sometimes, even in a marriage, the wife is trying to talk to her husband and his attention is glued to the game on TV. Pay attention. Those words are necessary when one is driving. The opposite of paying attention, is being distracted. It’s the distracted driver who weaves into the next lane and causes an accident. Life can distract us. We can get so busy with the here and the now that we forget about tomorrow and especially the eternal side of things.

Trouble so often begins very small, and it becomes a major problem because we do not pay attention. I am a yard fanatic. My yard is weed free, deep green, and better than many golf courses. Some in the neighborhood aren’t looking so hot. One started the spring with a few dandelions. Nothing was done. Now, he has more dandelions than he has grass. What happened? He didn’t pay attention to it. The same can be said about our finances. Not sticking to a budget, impulsive spending and the next thing you know there are more bills due than there is money coming in. What happened? Didn’t pay attention. The same can happen to the upkeep of our cars and our homes. A little mold, a little rot and a whole bunch of not paying attention can result in a major problem down the road. The same happens to our health. Not going to the doctor or the dentist on a regular basis and not paying attention to these things can result in serious health issues later on.

Paying attention. Noticing things. The direction here is toward self. Too often, we see what others are doing, but we fail to see what we are doing. Pay attention to yourself. Are you engaged in worship? Are you growing? Are you active in the kingdom? Are you excelling as God wants? It’s easy to float along, week after week. It’s easy to not think much about “ourselves” spiritually. Are you praying? Really praying? Are you thinking spiritually? Are you making decisions that are based upon spiritual conclusions?

A person generally doesn’t just drop out and give up like a blow out on your tire. Most times it’s a slow leak that isn’t noticed. Our souls slow down. We take our foot off the spiritual accelerator. We do less. We aren’t around God’s people much. We get too wrapped up in things that do not matter. Our attitudes slip. Our tongue slips. Our attendance slips. Instead of getting better, we become weaker. What happened? We weren’t paying attention. And all the while we are so busy making a living, getting through the day, we never noticed that Satan slipped right in. We weren’t paying attention. We start having thoughts that we wouldn’t have had just a year ago. We begin to lean upon excuses more and more and find ourselves complaining more and more, especially about things down at the church. Sermons are long. Classes are boring. People are stuffy. Yet, we never realize, we didn’t feel this way a while back. What’s happened? We aren’t paying attention to ourselves and we’ve allowed Satan to distract us, discourage us and defeat us.

What can a person do? Pay attention to yourself. Put yourself in the Scriptures. Realize through the Word of God that the Lord is talking to you. Put yourself in the seat of application as the preacher preaches. Imagine it’s just you and him in that auditorium. Learn. Change. Grow. Become. Look for ways that you can raise the bar on what you are doing. Have you had any families over to your home in a while? Don’t turn to the excuses. Our place is a mess. It’s small. We need to paint. Pay attention. Being with others is good and your need that. How long has it been since you helped teach a Bible class? Me? Teach? I can’t do that. Maybe you can. Maybe you can learn how. Pay attention. When was the last time you men gave a mid-week invitation or preached? Me? Yes, you. Pay attention to yourself. Why not?

When was the last time you took the bulletin or the church directory and just started praying for other families? Deep prayers. When was the last time you and the family got into the car on a Monday night and headed out to another congregation to hear a series of lessons being presented? Not on a Monday? We’re tired. The kids have school the next day. Pay attention—remember?

We slip and slide off course because we don’t pay attention. We see this every winter where I live. On a cold winter day, the roads might be icy or snow covered, and some ya-hoo flies down the road in his monster truck driving way too fast. He’s not paying attention. He’ll be in a ditch before the day is over. Pay attention.

Great words—important to the preacher Timothy and needful for us.

Roger

Jump Start  # 1127

1 Timothy 4:16 “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; preserve in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

Pay attention. That is something that is heard nearly everyday in classrooms and in homes. Paying attention is the reason why most states now make it illegal to text and drive. It’s hard to pay attention to the road when you are looking at your phone. The opposite of paying attention is day dreaming, looking about, in a haze, mind wandering about. Focus is another word that defines paying attention. The other day I was driving to a church building that I had never been to before. I was to preach that evening. I was on the right road, but missed the building. I couldn’t find it. There were so many signs, traffic and stores that I never saw it. I had to call my friend Zack to find out where the place was. I wonder if that happens to us in life as well. There are so many things to look at, so much going on, that we don’t see each other. We don’t notice. We fail to pay attention.

We can live in the same house and still be strangers. We come and go and do the small talk but don’t really get to sit down and share life. This happens in marriages and it happens in parenting. The sad consequence of this is far too often in a marriage, one drifts apart and the other never realizes it. One is starving for attention and the other person wasn’t paying close attention. Eventually they find someone else who will give them the attention that they long for. By the time the other person realizes it, it’s too late.

In parenting, far too often, parents are the last to know that their kids are doing drugs. They didn’t catch the change in moods, grades and attitudes. They didn’t pay attention to who their kids were hanging out with. Then one day the school calls, or worse, the police knock on the door. The parents are shocked. They had no idea. They were not paying close attention.

The same lack of attention in a congregation is the reason some slip through the cracks. That’s a common expression we use. I’ve often wondered why there are cracks? Maybe if there wasn’t any cracks, no one would slip through them. But someone slowly and silently drifts away from the group. In time he stops attending all together. His lack of attendance becomes the visible sign. There were others. Prayer life has been suffering before this. His enthusiasm was dying before this. His connection to the word of God was falling off the charts before this. By the time any one notices, by the time someone finally pays attention, he’s long gone. His faith is shelved and he has moved on to other things. Why? Some shepherds weren’t paying attention. Some pay more attention to the balance in the check book than they do the condition that the sheep are in. As a result, some slip through the cracks.

Paying attention. Preachers want that on Sunday mornings. When I was a teenager, we wrote notes, not about sermons, but mostly to girls, during preaching time. We didn’t pay much attention. Today, it’s the phone and tablet. Now, it’s surfing, games and texting instead of writing notes. Same principle. Same problem. Not paying attention. I wish now that I had. I never thought about preaching back in those days. I didn’t think a whole lot about Jesus in those days. I didn’t pay much attention back in those days. Some of those lessons would have helped me, had I paid attention.

Paul’s words here are not about marriage, parenting, shepherding or even paying attention during worship. It’s about one’s own spiritual condition. We are to take ownership of our souls. It’s not the churches job. It’s not elder’s job, it’s my job to get serious about the Lord. Paul’s words are: “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching…” Watch yourself. Look at yourself. Examine yourself, as he would tell the Corinthians.

Pay close attention. I wonder if we really do that. Do we do that when we sit down to watch a movie? Do we do that when we chase all the rabbits we find on Facebook? “Ten things every parent must know…” Or, “The way you truly know you are in love.” Or, “Ten books you must read before you die.” Or, “What every Christian is afraid to admit.” Or, this advice and that advice. This link and that site. Do we pay attention or are we being influenced, taught and led down some wiggly places that takes our hearts away from Christ?

Pay attention to yourself and to your teaching. Listen to what you are saying. Do you hear yourself? Do you follow your own advice? Do you give it but not heed it yourself? Pay attention.

The sheep that does not pay attention will look up from his grazing and realize that the flock has moved on. He will find himself alone and in trouble. He wasn’t paying attention. Blame the shepherds for not telling your. Blame the environment. Blame the times we live in. Blame your upbringing. Paul says, “Pay attention to yourself…” Everything has an influence and an impact. The music does. The shows do. The articles do. The friends do. Even we do. Pay attention. Be careful what you are putting into you heart and soul. Not everything is healthy. Not everything is good. Some things may not be bad, but just not helpful. I’ve been to India. Some of the things I saw people eating, probably wasn’t bad, but I certainly wouldn’t put them in my mouth.

Pay attention. Pay attention to how you are doing. Paying attention will recognize whether or not you are growing or stagnating. It will show whether you are leveled off or increasing for the Lord. Pay attention to yourself.

Where I live, we pay attention to walking and driving in the winter. If you don’t you’ll fall on the ice or wreck your car.

Paying attention begins by seeing yourself as you really are. James used the example of a man looking in the mirror. He sees himself carefully and clearly. This is where paying attention begins. No games. No smoke. No excuses. Where am I spiritually? Am I getting stronger or am I drifting? Am I winning the battle over Satan or am I stuck on the merry-go-round of sin, doing the same wrong things over and over? Is my character, my attitude, my outlook, my hope where it ought to be? Or, am I consumed and obsessed with the trivial, worldly and mindless junk of today. Am I more interested in who wore what dress to what Hollywood award show or who remains in the competition, or what team is winning than I am where the church is and where I am spiritually? Pay attention.

The rich man in Luke 16 didn’t pay attention to what matters the most. He certainly paid attention to his finances. He dressed and ate well. He died and he had neglected his soul. He did not pay attention to those things. His five brothers were following in his steps. They were not paying attention to their lives. They would be with him in misery unless they started paying attention. The sad thing is that we will join them to if we do not pay attention.

Paying attention will allow you to make corrections, adjustments and changes. It will smooth your rough edges. It will make you go back and apologize when wrong. It will push you to do more. These things happen when one is paying attention.

You can tell when a college guy has been paying attention to his looks. His clothes may actually match and not be wrinkled. His hair may actually be combed. He may have even showered. Amazing how nice someone can look when they pay attention to self. The same is true spiritually.

Pay attention…have you done it in a while?

Roger

Jump Start # 289

1 Timothy 4:16 “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

  Our passage today is one of those “preacher’s verses.” It was written by the apostle Paul to the younger Timothy, who was preaching. The book of 1 & 2 Timothy are stuffed with things preachers ought to know and follow. One of the common threads throughout these thoughts is staying close to the word of God. Timothy was to remind the brethren. He was to instruct the brethren. He was to preach the word of God.

  It is easy to dismiss these verses if you are not a preacher and think, “Doesn’t apply to me,” but we remember that all Scripture is profitable. There are things all of us can learn.

  I want to focus on the first part of our verse, “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching.” Watch yourself. Be careful. It seems that we are so quick to pay attention to other people. We seem to notice their faults more than our own faults. We are critical when they mess up and seem to know exactly what they ought to be doing, which is usually what they are not doing. I guess that’s human nature, but it’s just not the way God wants things done. Pay close attention to yourself. Watch your words. Check your attitude. Are you where you ought to be? Is your heart right?

  The expression, “close attention,” implies details, the small stuff, careful examination. Things bug us and irritate us. Should they? We can get mad fast and easily. Ought we to allow that? Close attention. I imagine a surgeon looking carefully inside the body. He’s not in a hurry. He’s looking carefully. I can see the drill sergeant looking over a line of soldiers. Examining each one in detail. Making sure every thing is proper and right. It’s like a young man going out on his first date with a girl. He stares in the mirror for a long time, making sure everything looks as good as it can. Close attention.

  James describes the disciple who not only hears but does the word of God as one who, “looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25). There it is, “looks intently.” That’s like our “pay close attention to yourself.”

   I wonder why folks don’t do that much. I hear parents just screaming at their kids, saying the most horrible things. I wonder if they are listening to what they are saying? Why don’t we pay close attention to our self?

   Could it be we know? We know what the outcome will be and we just don’t want to go there, so we don’t. We know there is much improvement needed. We know that our attitudes stink and our behavior is sloppy before God, so we live in the land of denial and simply not “pay close attention to our self.”

  Could it be we have never been trained to do this or we never thought about this? Maybe we grew up in a home that constantly chewed up other people, including brethren and we thought that’s what is normal. Many TV shows seem to thrive on that concept.

  Whatever the reason, we need to do as Paul and James tells us. We need to pay close attention, to our self and to God’s word. If you don’t you will be in a mess. You can become weak without realizing it. Your marriage can start to crumble without you noticing it and most importantly, your life will not look anything like Jesus Christ. Your influence will not be for good and you can even lose your soul eternally. This is serious stuff. Some are quick to point fingers. It’s the church’s fault. It’s the kind of preaching we had. It’s this or that. But you wonder, did they pay close attention to their soul? Did they recognize what was going on? Did they notice what they were feeding their heart every day?

  Paying attention to anything takes time and effort. Some don’t want to do it. They’d rather just sit in front of the TV until they fall asleep, every night. Paying attention means thinking about where you are going spiritually. What’s going on in your heart. Years ago I sat down with a disciple that was discouraged. He was thinking about quitting. Many had talked to him. It was my turn. I asked him one question. I asked, “Where are you and Jesus at?”  He didn’t say anything. I thought maybe he didn’t hear me. I looked at him, his head was down and a tear was coming down his cheek. He said, “No one has ever asked  me that? All they care about is me coming back to church.” We went on to talk about Jesus and how that is the most important relationship. He returned. The smile came back to his heart. He learned how to pay close attention to himself.

  Pay close attention to yourself. Are you getting stronger spiritually? You can tell. Are you praying more diligently? You know. Are you walking with the Lord daily? Are you letting your light shine? Are you making a difference in the lives of others?

  This is what paying close attention is about. It’s that look within. It can be painful, but more so, it comes with adjustments. We think. We see. We adjust. We become closer to Jesus. Do you like how you are turning out?

  Stuff to think about. Good things to roll through your mind as you drive. Turn the radio off and pay attention—first to the road, then to yourself. It’ll do you good.

Roger