GIVING GOD OUR FULL ATTENTION

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” – Matthew 6:34 (MSG).

Have you ever been telling a story, recalling events, expressing an opinion, or asking for advice when you notice that the person across from you is not paying attention? Maybe they are watching somebody walk by or glancing at their phone in response to a text alert. Or maybe they simply have that glazed-over look accompanied by that pretending-to-listen head nod.

We’ve all been there. It’s hard, even at times, to give our full attention to something or someone for an extended period of time. There are so many things in this world that steal our focus. Our jobs, relationships, and worries are all aspects of our lives that try to take center stage.

If you look at Jesus’ life, it becomes obvious He was present in all He did. Can you imagine Jesus sitting down with you at a meal and constantly looking out the window or asking you to repeat what you said, distracted and distant as if wishing He was somewhere else? When He went away to be alone with God, He listened fully to His Father’s guiding voice. And on the eve of His crucifixion, knowing full well that He would be tortured and killed the next day, He remained perfectly present to His disciples, to His friends. He ate with them. He prayed with them. He washed their feet in a spirit of humility and love.

Jesus gave us His full attention, but do we reciprocate? Or do we meditate on His Word while scrolling down our to-do list? Our prayers are interrupted by random thoughts and other pauses to take care of this or remember to do that. Our intentions are good, but it is a challenge to spend time alone with God. No phones. No television. Just you and God. No stray thoughts. No agendas. No to-do lists.

God deserves that when we spend time with Him, we shut everything else out and “focus completely on Him.” The living God doesn’t want just some of us when we spend time with Him; He wants all of us. Just like we need full attention in a heart-to-heart conversation, God wants the same from us.

Matthew 6:33 tells us that our attention should be on God first and foremost. “Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” The best way to ensure that God always has our full, undivided attention is to stay connected with and focused on Him throughout the day.

With all our distractions, it takes intentionality and commitment to stay connected to Christ. If you want to become more like Christ, we need to give God our full attention.

Discussion Questions:

What types of things are competing with God for your attention?
How can we better give our time and attention to God this week?