Join us this Sunday! In-Person 9:00am & 10:45am, Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Join us this Sunday! In-Person 9:00am & 10:45am, Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Join us at the next Sunday worship service:
In-Person
9:00am & 10:45am,
Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Overcoming Distractions

“Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.” – Proverbs 4:25.

 A great marriage has many benefits, but nobody reaps the benefits without putting in the work. The first rule of a successful marriage is this: work hard and stay focused. Sounds like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? So why do we not do it? We get distracted. Distraction takes many forms in life today. Maybe you are preparing for a presentation you have to give at work. You are trying to get it done while you have the time and inclination when you begin to wonder if you should clean out that drain or whether the stock market is up or down. We chase “rabbits” that won’t be worth the reward once we catch them.

Distractions not only affect our marriage but our relationships with God. When we are distracted we have a diminished ability to think deeply about Him, to truly know Him as He is, and to grow more like Him. It is harder and harder to stop long enough to study the scriptures. We struggle with the attention needed to find quality time for God. Where prayer used to be the first activity of the day, we now begin our daily routine by checking our e-mail or checking our Facebook page. 

When you are doing something important, whatever that is, it requires your full attention: It is important that you don’t get distracted because typically that is when things go wrong. As followers of Jesus, to be at our absolute best, we must be focused, which means we must be focused on what matters most. For Christians, distractions can be a real threat to that focus. 

Jesus sets the standard that we should model on focus. In Luke 13:22-24 (MSG) we read: “He went on teaching from town to village, village to town, but keeping on a steady course toward Jerusalem. A bystander said, “Master, will only a few be saved?” He said, “Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires your total attention.”

Jesus was subject to all the pressures we are and yet remained completely disciplined, always giving His time to what was ultimately most important. He was constantly moving forward to the ultimate goal of Jerusalem. Jesus knew exactly what needed His attention. He knew what He was meant to be doing and where He was meant to be going.  

What really matters most, no matter who we are or what calling we have in life, is our relationship with God. If we allow anything to distract us from our relationship with Him we will never be able to be who He has called us to be, or do what He has called us to do. If there is one lesson we learn from watching Jesus it’s the fact that He never allowed His schedule to crowd out His time alone with God. He knew no matter what else was going on His relationship with his Father had to have top priority.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are some distractions that can impact our daily walk with God? 
  2. What can we do this week to keep from being distracted and completely focused on God? 

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