Today's Devotional

March 3, 2005

Subject:  If You're Gonna Have Faith, You've Got to Pay Attention

Acts 3:5 - "And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them."

Acts 3:16 - "And His name through faith in His name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by Him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all."

It's amazing how your attitude can change about some things.  I recently talked about how while traveling on the road, whether doing investigations or just visiting family and friends, I sometimes stop looking for God in every situation.  It's called complacency.  However, when I'm back at home and generating these daily devotionals, I begin to pay attention to every little thing to see God's hand moving.  That's what I call "the first principle of faith."  If you're gonna have faith, you've got to pay attention.

Notice the man who had been lame all of his life, sitting outside of the temple.  Peter and John simply said, "look at us" and the scripture records that he "gave heed unto them."  He paid attention.  It's just like a good TV show, a good teacher in college or high school or a good sermon.  We pay attention because we expect to receive something.  

We tend to think of paying attention as a passive act.  In reality it is quite active and initiates the faith machine within each of us.  Remember also, "faith cometh by hearing (paying attention)..."  Whatever you're paying attention to, will determine your expectation.  You don't watch Desperate Housewives to receive love, peace and joy.  That's not your expectation when you turn it on.  If you want things like faith, humility and self-control, you've got to pay attention to He who gives such and the circumstances He creates from which we must learn.

Think about it today.  If your faith is failing, perhaps you're not paying attention or perhaps you are paying attention, but to the wrong things.  Therefore you have wrong expectations.  

Carlen