Today when you hear his voice,

don't harden your hearts.

Hebrews 3:7-8

Hebrews 3:15

Hebrews 4:7

Three times in twenty verses. Three promises I'll hear his voice. Three instructions to listen, to accept, to respond. Three reminders that I probably wasn't paying attention the first time anyway.

There are startling similarities to an eighth grade class. I walk around the room as my students work. "Read the instructions," I tell them. "Be sure you're modeling your answers." "I see lots of answers but not many models." Then, as I collect the papers, I hear, "Oh, were we supposed to draw models?"

I did manage to refrain from running screaming down the hall, but after all, it was only second hour. This scene would be repeated every forty-five minutes for the rest of the day.

So what do I tell my students? Desks cleared, sit up straight, eyes on the teacher. Take notes, ask questions, try every problem.

How much better would I listen, how much more would I hear if I cleared off all distractions, sat up straight with my eyes on God, and tackled every challenge?