Give him a nudge

Do you remember sitting in Bible class or worship and the teacher was making a particularly salient point and before he was finished, you felt an elbow planted frimly in your ribcage? The inference is an obvious one - someone is making sure that you don't miss the point. The message comes across clear as a bell - you need to hear this.

So, the question is - "How do we listen when others are teaching?" Are we more concerned about making the application of the lesson to others, or are we more interested in our own self-improvement? You don't know how many times I have taught a class, written a blog, or preached a sermon when someone would come up and say, "That was a great lesson, I wish Bob could have heard that - he needs it." How do you say - that sermon applies to you more than it does Bob?

Next time we want to give someone a nudge, or plant your elbow firmly in their ribcage, pause for just a minute and ask yourself, "is there something in there for me."