I can still hear the voices of some of my teachers from school days telling the class to 'Listen!' or asking, 'Are you listening?'. Sometimes it was, 'Pay attention!'. I don't suppose it is much different nowadays. Teachers need to to pass on information or instructions and children can't learn and benefit if they aren't listening. Many times in the book of Proverbs the reader is told to listen and to pay attention to what it says. I would imagine not many people are paying any attention at all to the Bible, let alone the book of Proverbs, but it really is for our good that we do so... There are many distractions and competing voices trying to gain our attention and we all have an inbuilt disposition not to want to listen to God. In these days of 'lockdown', when there may be times we are casting round for something to do, here is a great opportunity to 'pay attention' to God by getting a Bible and reading it. John's Gospel is a good place to start, as it introduces Jesus Christ to us. He is the 'Word made flesh' (John 1:14), the Saviour who brings light into the world and into people's lives. What does that mean? The book of Proverbs says that the teachings of God's Word, when taken to heart, will 'prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity' (Proverbs 3:1-2). This is what Jesus Christ offers and gives to all who become His followers. It is not a crassly material promise of lots of money in the bank and the possibility of becoming 'Britain's oldest person', but it is a promise of rich spiritual blessings and full, true and eternal life, a life that is far more than merely in this world and until we die. 

Anyone interested in reading the Bible but who does not have one can contact us via the contact page to get a copy of John's Gospel, or a complete Bible. Alternatively, the Bible can be found online at BibleGateway and there are plenty of free Bible apps for computers, tablets and smartphones, such as the Olive Tree Bible app.