Last week, I wrote a couple of blogs about my overall good time at Spring Canyon with the young staff – high school and college kids. I’d like to say that I held them spellbound all the time, but that wasn’t the case. There were a few in particular that hardly ever paid attention. Even when I had them in small groups on the last night, one high-schooler was dozing off. I went to him and said, “Son, just give me 30 more minutes, OK?”

I thought about him and others when I ran across this verse in my daily reading:

[Jesus said, ] “So pay careful attention to your hearts as you hear my teaching, for to those who have open hearts, even more revelation will be given to them until it overflows. And for those who do not listen with open hearts, what little light they imagine to have will be taken away.” (Luke 8.18, TPT)

I used to say, “No points for listening only!” But that’s not quite true. It’s “negative points” for listening without an intention to put the teaching into practice.

But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. (Luke 8.15, NIV)