A life vest is located in a pouch under your seat or between the armrests. In the case of an emergency water landing, open the plastic pouch and remove the vest. Slip it over your head. Pass the straps around your waist and adjust at the front. To inflate the vest, pull firmly on the red cord when leaving the aircraft. If you need to refill the vest, blow into the mouthpiece. 

You will find this and all the other safety information in the card located in the seat pocket in front of you. We strongly suggest you read it before take-off. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask one of our crew members. We wish you all an enjoyable flight.

You just skimmed right through that, didn’t you? Be honest. When you’re flying somewhere, how carefully do you listen to the flight attendants’ safety speech? I don’t listen very carefully at all. The first few times I flew, I definitely did! But now it’s just so familiar that I tune it out. Plus, thankfully, I’ve never needed to actually put these instructions into practice. My assumption that my flight will be routine and go off without a hitch fills me with complacency when it comes to my awareness of what to do in case of emergency. Would I actually know exactly what to do if something unexpected happened midflight? I’m honestly not sure. 

Not long ago, one of the stewardesses on a flight I was on said something a little extra that got my attention. Before starting the routine speech about emergency safety procedures, she said, Even if you fly frequently, please make sure to pay attention. Each aircraft is different, and this one may have new information that you need to hear.

This really caught my ear! And guess what? I sure did pay a little closer attention than usual. Her simple reminder was all it took for me to renew my discipline for listening carefully to some information that could potentially save my life one day. 

This got me thinking… I almost always tune out the emergency information before a flight even though it could be the difference between life and death. While I remember it from past flights generally speaking, the nitty gritty details require repeated hearings and my full attention. What kind of other important life information is this probably true for? Well, for one thing, it’s most certainly true about the transformational, life-or-death information in the Bible.

Have you ever been guilty of skimming through Bible passages instead of slowing down and meditating on each word? What about those most familiar verses—do you ever just kinda tune them out when the pastor reads them since you’ve heard them countless times before? I wonder which precious details you have forgotten over time that might be difference-makers in your relationship with God if you were reminded of them? 

For example… Any believer who grew up in the church has heard the Christmas story time and time again. In fact, even if you didn’t grow up in a Christian household, you’ve maybe heard the story of Jesus’ birth several times. You might be tempted to tune it out next time you turn to that page of Scripture or hear the pastor starting to read it, but what if you listened for a new revelation God might have for you? Maybe there’s an obscure detail He wants to point out for some reason, or perhaps He has a big light bulb moment ready and waiting to unleash in your heart if you’ll just choose to really lock in and HEAR the story yet again. 

Every single page of the Bible is loaded with people, stories, details, themes and ideas that can change you. Are you willing to read each verse and chapter carefully enough to actually take them to heart? 

If you only half-listen to the emergency information at the start of the flight, you will only half-know what to do if the plane has a problem. You might remember that there’s a life vest and an oxygen mask around there somewhere, but chances are, you’ll be scrambling to figure out the rest of the details that you chose not to listen to before takeoff. In the same way, when you half-read and half-listen to Scripture, you only half-know how to apply it to your life. …you only half-gain access to its transformational power. …you only half-remember what promise of God to lean on when an unexpected challenge arises. …you only half-realize the way Biblical truths speak directly to the situations you find yourself in today. 

So pay attention! Eternal destinies are on the line, and your abundant life in Christ TODAY is, too. 

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. -2 Timothy 3:16

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. -1 Timothy 4:2

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. -Hebrews 4:12