Distractions

chain reaction

The other morning, I was going to put in my glasses in the bathrooom. On top of the glasses case was something that I needed to charge. When I went to get the charger, I found something that needed to be put away in the kitchen. When I went into the kitchen, I remembered I needed to get my lunch for the day. I still didn't have my glasses on yet. Isn't it funny how you can get distracted from a goal? Happens to me sometimes.

In fact, as I was typing this, I remembered there was a program I wanted to download to paste text in a particular way. Then I remembered that someone at work told me I could do the same thing from within my word processor. Then I looked in my word processor at home and decided this way was harder than just getting the special program. So, I went back to get the special program, but got distracted when I thought it would be good to write this down. It happens so often that we get distracted from something we mean to do.

I thought about doing a lesson on distractions, but I found an old one on the related idea of focus, so I'll present that.

Focusing our lives on God...

Whenever we feel something in our lives taking precedence over God, we have to step back and say, “Wait a minute, this isn’t right.” And we have to be alert for this as well or it could just sort of sneak up on us.

In college, I learned that if I had a test and didn't study the night before, I wouldn't get a satisfactory grade. And if, as I was studying, I kept getting distracted by other things like TV, I still wouldn't get a satisfactory grade even though I was supposedly studying. To get the most effect out of studying, I had put some effort and concentration into it. Otherwise, I'd sit there with the book in my lap but my eyes on the TV and I'd know very little about cells and molecules, but a lot about why Tide is better than the other leading detergent. Likewise, in our lives as Christians, we can’t try to kid ourselves about what is most important in our lives. God has to be first without a doubt. The first part of not being distracted is to decide what is most important. Is a test tomorrow more important or is it more important for me to watch TV tonight? In our Christian lives, is it more important that I should know God's will or that I should be intelligent in the eyes of people in the world?

1 Corinth 3

18Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness"[a]; 20and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile."[b] 21So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

So the wisdom and all of the good things this life has to offer pale in comparison with the wisdom of God. If we keep this in mind, we can keep things in perspective and remember that he should be first in our lives, instead of putting ourselves above him.

There's another verse about this in

Romans 12

3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

...

16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

These verses describe conceit...thinking more of yourself than anything. It's something we have to watch out for in our lives. We may tend to pamper ourselves physically, and neglect our spiritual lives if we aren't careful.

We have to resist any diversions in life that would pull us away from God and have an extreme dedication described in :

Romans 12 (I’ll be reading a lot from Romans 12 tonight.)

1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

This is dedication, offering our bodies as living sacrifices. We can’t be distracted away from God by the petty things of this world. We have to keep our focus on him.

...

11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

If we see something in our lives that pulls us away from God, we need to cast it out. This could be very difficult to do depending on the situation, but it’s certainly better than losing a home in heaven.

Jesus, himself, said something about this in

Matthew 18

8If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

So we have to purge the things from our lives that would supersede God

And, this is a situation where we can pray to God for the strength to cast out those things. He can give us the strength to keep him first and foremost.

So we should pray to God for the strength to follow him.

Prayer has to be an integral part of our lives

Falling away from God and getting caught up in the world is a temptation that we must fight. God won’t allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to resist.

1 Corinth 10

13No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

This is an assurance we can carry with us. We can never use the excuse that we are too strongly tempted to withstand it. If we catch ourselves doing something wrong, we will find that if we’d really tried, we could have resisted it. We can’t just have a half-hearted attitude in resisting sin. We must put all of our effort into it.

Now the bible says that we’ll be persecuted by those around us in the world. Of course, we have to expect this and with God’s help, we have to have the strength to resist being pulled away by them. Ideally, it would be best if we were so ready with an answer for anything they said about God that we would influence them toward God. So we need to study God’s word and be prepared for such a time as we are needed.

Romans 12

17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20On the contrary:

"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

And so we are given a goal here: the overcoming of those who would pull us away with God with a ready answer from the word of God. We need to be prepared with the knowledge of the word of God, or, as Ephesians 6:15 puts it, we should have our “feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace”

Another verse on being ready with an answer

1 Peter 3:15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

We can also look to our brothers and sisters in Christ for the strength to keep our lives focused on God. God has given us a wonderful thing in the Church. We can help each other in those times when we are troubled by the world around us. We can pray for each other for the Lord’s help. This is why we give the opportunity during our services to let troubled brothers and sisters to let their needs be known…so that the Church can all pray for them. And, of course, this should apply outside of services too. If you are having a problem maintaining your focus on God, then, at any time, you should be able to call on anyone here to help you. It’s part of the strength that we have in the Church.

1 Timothy 2

1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time.

Gifts within the Church

Romans 12

4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

This is the Church in which the members of the body support each other. A hand brings food to the mouth. The mouth feeds the body. The hand removes a thorn from the foot. Like the parts of the body, we in the Church support each other.

9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

This support of one another in the Church is because of Christian love according to God’s plan.

In general, we need to keep our eyes on the prize. Remain focused.

We should do as Paul says in Philippians 3:14 and press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. This is the highest calling. Other things pale in comparison.

2 Corinthians 4 (whole chapter)

1Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"[a]made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

13It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken."With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 14because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. 15All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.