The Importance of Paying Careful Attention Lyle Hinsdale We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. — Hebrews 2:1 Experimental social psychologist, Robert Cialdini, explains that we are all susceptible to influences. There are a number of psychological triggers that draw us to certain behaviors. Click and whirr distractions, reciprocation, and many other triggers are used to influence others. People who have spent any time studying sales techniques will understand this. Give the right sales pitch using the right technique and you can sell almost anything. There are obvious cases of people abusing influence techniques. And there are cases of people using influence for noble purposes. But we are all susceptible to influences. And there are many influences in the world vying for our attention. Influences can be used to enhance or encumber our relationship with God. If we are led into sin in one area of our lives, our whole being is affected. Even though we may not realize it, every decision we make leaves an impact on us. We may convince ourselves that this one thing is a ‘small’ sin and that it really isn’t that big of a problem. Or that a sin in one area will not affect another aspect of our lives. But doing so ignores the truth that we cannot compartmentalize our lives. Because influences are all around us, we need to pay close attention. And, because some influences are good and some are bad, paying careful attention to the influences we listen to is extremely important. The writer of Hebrews tells us to pay more careful attention to what we have heard so that we do not drift away. The image is that of a boat close to shore. Drifting is a gradual concept. It doesn’t happen all at once. One minute you think you’re close to the safety of shore, the next you’ve drifted ten, twenty, thirty feet away if you’re not paying attention. Because there are influences in the world trying to distract us, we need to pay closer attention to the right ones. We need to avoid becoming complacent and focus on being diligent and adhere only to the influences that lead us to Jesus Christ. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. —Hebrews 6:11-12
Posted on: Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:10:16 +0000
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