God! The Great Attention Getter!

God! The Great Attention Getter!

I wonder what it would take to get your attention today? (Do something that really grabs attention)! Good now that I have your attention what will it take keep your attention. Maybe I’ll try juggling while preaching this message. That will definitely keep your attention.

There are many things in life that get our attention be it people, TV, Books, advertisement, food, food, and food. I want to propose today that there is someone else who wants to get our attention. God! The Great Attention Getter! Let’s Pray!

I want you to think for a moment What are some things we do in order to get someone’s attention? If your interested in someone you may walk by someone(yal know what I’m talking about). You make sure you walk a certain way as to run into them. Also may fix yourself up or start dressing differently(nicer) because you know you’re gonna see that person. Sometimes kids like to get attention by being in with the dress code or getting some name brand where other kids will notice and say “man that’s a tight shirt” Those shoes’ are the bomb. Often times kids try will try to get attention by doing something that is sometimes not positive. They may hit sometimes or start acting out in school by getting bad grades or getting into it with other children. I can remember as a kid giving out loads of candy in the 4th grade to my classmates, which made me the center of attention.

Getting our attention often takes something that is not with the norm or doing something different. If you look at a crowd of people they can all look the same until you see that person that stands at 6ft 9inches then that person all of a sudden stands out.

I am convinced that God wants to get our attention. Let’s look at the book of Acts and see how God got Paul’s attention. Acts 9 starting at verse 1. Meanwhile Saul(Paul) was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. Who was Paul. He was person of Jewish descent. Paul was a Benjamite and a native of Tarsus. He was also a free Roman citizen by his father’s descent. One source said that it was the intention of Paul;s parents to make him fit to be a Rabbi by profession. Paul was under the teaching of a strict Pharisee named Gamaliel. Paul was himself a Pharisee that was one of the three sects of Judaism in the time of Christ. This sect included all Hebrews who separated themselves from every kind of Levitical impurity, following the Mosaic Law of purity. Bottom line is that Paul was a religious man.

Paul at this point is still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. “When I see those Christians I am going to tear them apart! I am going to get those wierdos”! He even got letters verse 2 from the high priest to be given to the synagogues so that if found any who belonged to Christ they would be taken as prisoners to Jerusalem. In Acts chapter 7 Paul had given the approval of the stoning of Stephen(another follwer of Christ). Act Stoning part out!

Paul was doing his own thing going his own way all in the name of God. Paul was doing some dirt! Let’s not get to hard on Paul because we need to look at our lives before God got our attention. Ask you neighbor “What did your life look before God got your attention?” Or ask has he got your attention yet? Let me tell you before God got my attention I was walking my own way doing my own thing and thinking I was allright just like Paul. Just because I had a little Religion.

The good thing about verses 1-2 is that there is a verse 3. (Act Out 3-4) Verse 3-4 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Verse 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,” he replied.

I told you God wants to get our attention. Paul is walking through life doing his own thing and God gets his attention. Literally!

Sometimes God has to knock us off our feet so we can stop look up and see Jesus!(Repeat) At this point God has our full attention. It is often times when we are at our lowest point and being humbled where God seems to speak the loudest. It isn’t that God has changed, but it is that God has our full attention.

I want to ask where were you when God got your attention? Was it the time that job that you clinged to let you loose that he got your attention? Was it when the person you were so attached to and so in Love with broke your heart that God got your attention? Was it when you went through an illness that you didn’t know how you would make it, that God got your attention. Was it through the death of a loved one that God got your attention?