Pay Attention
Notes
Transcript
Series Intro
Series Intro
“We spent the last several weeks resetting some things. But here's what I've discovered: It's one thing to put something where it belongs. It's another thing to keep it there.”
That's what Focus is about.
Where do I place my attention? What deserves it? What distracts it? How do I keep my mind fixed on what matters?
Intro
Intro
There are some things you can do without paying much attention.
You can walk through your house without thinking about every step.
You can drive a familiar route and suddenly realize you don't remember the last three turns.
The problem is...
Sometimes we start living that way.
We wake up.
Go to work.
Take care of the kids.
Handle the problems.
Pay the bills.
Go to church.
Come home.
Go to sleep.
Do it again.
And somewhere along the way, we stopped asking:
Where is my life actually going?
Because Drift doesn't require a decision. It only requires a lack of attention.
Paul says there are some things in your life that deserve your attention.
Scripture
Scripture
Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—
making the most of the time, because the days are evil.
So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
“Did you catch Paul's language?
Pay careful attention.
Because you can't live intentionally if you're not paying attention.
And over these three verses, Paul shows us three areas that deserve our attention.”
Title = Pay Attention
Paul says the first thing we must pay attention to is
Pay Attention to the Way We Walk
Pay Attention to the Way We Walk
IOW = Pay attention to the way we live.
Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—
Paul immediately gives us two possibilities:
Wise or unwise.
There isn't a category called:
“I wasn't really thinking about it.”
Every step i take is going somewhere… each step is either wise or unwise.
Paying attention means I'm evaluating my steps against what they should look like.
How do we know?!
In James 3:17, God gives us a picture of what wisdom from above looks like.
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.
So paying attention to my walk means I am willing to evaluate my life against what wisdom is supposed to look like.
That's uncomfortable.
Because sometimes I don't want to evaluate it.
Sometimes I just want to assume:
“I'm good.”
But maturity requires inspection.
That's where James 3 becomes useful.
Does the way I'm living actually look like the wisdom God describes?
Look at how I handle conflict.
Look at how I respond when I'm offended.
Look at how I treat people who disagree with me.
Look at how I make decisions.
Look at how I respond under pressure.
Does this look like wisdom from above?
Because I can call something wisdom simply because it made sense to me.
Just because it makes sense to you doesn't make it wisdom.
And my evaluation may reveal:
I wasn't walking in God's wisdom.
Maybe I was following the world's steps.
Maybe I was following somebody else's steps.
Or maybe...
I was just following me.
Now here's the good news
Now here's the good news
Discovering that I haven't been walking wisely doesn't mean I'm stuck there.
God doesn't say:
“You should've known better.”
He says:
Ask.
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.
Let’s stop justifying unwise steps and ask God for better ones.
Transition
Transition
Pay attention to how you walk.
But Paul doesn't stop with the steps.
He starts talking about something every step costs us. And it’s actually the second thing we have to pay attention to
Time = Greek (Opportunities)
Pay Attention to the Opportunities in Front of You
Pay Attention to the Opportunities in Front of You
making the most of the time, because the days are evil.
God is doing things around you right now, and an unfocused life can miss them.
I don't have time to waste time.
I don't have time to waste time.
“The days are evil.”
Evil isn't taking the day off.
The enemy isn't wasting his opportunities.
God has given you opportunities.
Opportunities to impact the culture in your school, on your job, in your family
There are opportunities to love your spouse today that you can miss because your attention is somewhere else.
Your children are becoming adults right in front of you. Don't be so distracted that you miss the moments God gave you.
Some of the opportunities you've been praying for may already be in front of you, but you're too distracted to recognize them.
So why would I live as though my time doesn't matter?
Every day I'm given is an opportunity.
And Paul says:
Make the most of it.
Sometimes we aren't lacking opportunity. We're lacking attention.
Focus on the opportunity. - Homeschool and it has transitioned to me. I have been focused on the details.
Why?! B/C God has placed an opportunity in front of me and the details matter!
How do i know?! B/C God is in the details! If he’s there, that’s where I want to be as well!
I've learned things about curriculum these last few weeks I never thought I'd care about!
Why? Because curriculum became important to me?
No! My children are important to me.
And because the opportunity matters, the details connected to the opportunity matter.
Because the opportunity matters, I’m willing to pay attention to details that I previously wasn’t focused on.
Focus makes me pay attention to details that distraction tells me don't matter.
Transition
Transition
But here's the problem: not every opportunity is my opportunity.
Just because I can do something doesn't mean God is calling me to do it.
Just because a door is open doesn't mean I'm supposed to walk through it.
Just because something is good doesn't mean it's God's assignment for me.
Awareness isn't enough. I need discernment.
That's exactly why verse 17 follows verse 16.
So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
The last thing Paul shares in these verses is to:
Pay Attention to the Lord’s Will
Pay Attention to the Lord’s Will
So don’t be foolish…
The fool says in his heart, “There’s no God.”
They are corrupt; they do vile deeds.
There is no one who does good.
Biblically, the fool isn't necessarily unintelligent.
The fool has removed God from the equation.
Biblical foolishness isn't living without information. It's living without God.
I can be smart and foolish.
Educated and foolish.
Successful and foolish.
Organized and foolish.
Productive and foolish.
Because I've built a life that doesn't require me to pay attention to God.
You can't understand the will of God you're not paying attention to Him.
So how do I become someone capable of recognizing His will?
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
There’s a process!
The world stops shaping my thinking → God renews my mind → I begin testing/discerning → I recognize His will.
So the goal isn't merely for God to hand me instructions.
I'm becoming someone who recognizes what pleases Him.
I’ve studied what God blesses and what God curses.
I’ve studied what God loves and what he doesn’t.
I’ve studied what God permits and what He forbids.
The goal isn't merely to know God's will. It's to know God well enough to recognize His will.
The more attention I give to God, the easier it is to see His will
The more attention I give to God, the easier it is to see His will
To see it in the sea of everything else
Dog Illustration
Dog Illustration
I remember I was in college at Popeyes standing in line waiting to give my order.
I looked outside and this guy walked in and left His dog in the car.
I watched him walk all the way into the store.
Mind you, all kind of things were going on outside.
Not once did the dog take his eyes off of the man.
No matter what was going on around him, people, cars, distractions, his eyes stayed locked on his owner.
That’s attention!
I don't have to know everything happening around me.
I don't have to chase everything moving around me.
I don't have to react to everything happening around me.
I just need to keep my eyes on the One I'm following.
Keep your eyes on the One you're following.
Crazy around me, God my eyes are on you
There’s and opportunity over there, but God my eyes are on you
They abandoned me without reason, instead of retaliating, God my eyes are on you!
Watch This… I discovered something about the dog and his owner…
The dog keeps its eyes on its owner because the owner isn't merely giving direction—the owner is the dog's source.
The reason I keep my eyes on Jesus isn't just because I need Him to tell me where to go.
I keep my eyes on Jesus because everything I need to become who He's calling me to be is found in following Him.
John 4
John 4
Paying attention to God's will sustains me in life!
Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, “Rabbi, eat something.”
But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.”
“Did someone bring him food while we were gone?” the disciples asked each other.
Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.
Jesus reveals that there is nourishment in obedience.
As my eyes are on Jesus, following his will for my life, I’m being sustained.
Every yes is sustaining me.
When the will doesn’t make sense, God is sustaining me through my yes.
When the will takes me through a tough season, God is sustaining me through my yes.
When the will carries someone out of my life that i love, God is sustaining me through my yes.
The will of God doesn't just direct me. It sustains me.
Pay attention to it!
some of us spend too much time thinking
“I've got to pay attention so I don't mess up.”
Now we’ve learned:
No. I Pay attention because what God is leading me toward is where I’ll find what I need.
Somebody say “I’ll find it in His will”
Joy - I’ll find it in his will
Peace - I’ll find it in his will
Victory - I’ll find it in his will
Hope - I’ll find it in his will
Power - I’ll find it in his will
Rest - I’ll find it in his will
Closing
Closing
What has your attention?
Because now you've earned that question.
What consistently has my attention starts shaping how I think.
How I think shapes the decisions I make.
My decisions become steps.
My steps establish a direction.
And eventually that direction becomes my life.
So:
Your attention determines your direction.
Maybe you didn't decide to walk away from God.
Maybe you didn't decide your marriage wasn't important.
Maybe you didn't decide your children could have your leftovers.
Maybe you didn't decide your calling didn't matter.
Maybe you didn't decide to become spiritually distracted.
Maybe you just stopped paying attention.
Now:
It’s time to look again!
Look at your steps
Look at your opportunities
Look at your direction
And Most importantly:
Look at God!
Look at your neighbor and say: “It’s time to pay attention”
Prayer Points
Prayer Points
If someone in here believes their steps aren't wise — God, give them the courage to ask for wisdom.
If someone in here has wasted opportunities — God, I pray they will lean on you to help them make the most of what's still in their hands.
If someone in here has lost sight of Your will — God, I pray they will turn their attention back to You.
Personal Thoughts
Personal Thoughts
My steps → My opportunities → My God.
And notice how the attention keeps moving away from self and toward God.
Distraction steals my attention.
Attention affects my discernment.
Discernment shapes my decisions.
My decisions determine my direction.
