"Let us keep our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith." Hebrews 12:2
Today's word of encouragement was prompted by a dear friend and fellow pastor -Mark Washburn.
Many people have a life FULL of distractions. They come from all sorts of things, all sorts of people, and at all times of the day. Sunlight through the window when trying to sleep. Phone. Laptop. TV. Internet. Busyness. Tiredness. Pictures, Radio, Random thoughts. And seemingly on and on and on and on...
You may well note that nothing on this list is, in and of itself, a bad thing. So what makes them distractions? When these come repeatedly, they are a distraction, and when more than one comes at the same time - they are a distraction. Actually, too much of most ANYTHING distracts. 1 Corinthians 6:12 says, "Everything is permissible for me,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything." (CSB)
It's that last phrase that gets me - "I will not be mastered by anything." We don't like to think of ourselves as "mastered." After all, we're from the United States. We're independent and surviving in our lives. To be perfectly honest, we do let things get out of order. And that IS being mastered. But...
Probably the most important - and also perhaps the most obvious - question here is, Distractions from WHAT?
God's Word says in Colossians 3:1-2, "Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth." These two verses help us realize a need for thinking about eternity and having a perspective that is centered on Christ and not ourselves.
There is a great phrase that you and I need to make a part of our life and periodically repeat, "The main thing in life is keeping the main thing the main thing."
As a devoted follower of Jesus Christ, trusting in what Jesus did on the cross ALONE for salvation from sin, you will clearly recognize what the "main thing" is.
Here are a couple of nice reflective thoughts for today:
- Do you personally know what the "main thing" is in life and have you fully embraced it?
- What distracts you from walking as closely with Jesus as He wants to walk with you?
- What changes or adjustments do you need to make in life to make and keep Jesus and His provision of salvation front and center in your life?
Let's commit to praying for each other that we will "...[keep] our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith." (Hebrews 12:2 NLT) And if you haven't yet recognized your sin and turned away from it to Jesus, the only one who can truly fix it, why not shoot me a reply email so we can talk more about it?
