Distractions - from Spiritual Growth

Today I was with my corporate guys, who were willing to ‘stop the presses,’ in spite of all the work going on around them—emails, phonecalls and voicemails, pressing matters which vied for their attention--to carve out time to come together, look at God’s Word, and have their embers stoked into flames.  When I arrived on sight, there was no doubt that there was a lot happening; you could feel the buzz, yet they hit pause to talk about things eternal.

Last week, I met with a lady friend of mine at her request, down at the Dana Point harbor.  The scene ~ one from a postcard, as boats of varying sizes are tied, tourists lick ice cream cones as they stroll and talk about what it might be like to live here.  In our conversation, she confesses, ‘I have to tell you, when I am praying in the morning, well, I really struggle with distraction!’  ‘Oh yes—me too!’ I responded, and then I told her that I usually write my morning prayers so as not to be driven by the wind and tossed about as James said.¹

Here’s the facts:  we live in a physical world—with schedules, relationships, and practical demands that regularly vie for our attention in every way, right?  So how then do we fine-tune our senses to the things of God, so that we might be ‘in the world, but not of the world’² as Paul described?  I mean, is it possible to stay on the inside track, aware of and sensitive to God’s will and his way for us?

The reality is that when we are going through serious trials, which require us to cling to God and our faith like a life raft—we are aware that, without God, without his mercy, grace and intervention, we can’t or won’t make it.  But how about—absent of serious trial--we were to choose by intention to pour ourselves into our Christian faith, into the Holy Spirit’s work in us--so that we will be undeterred by life, and its demands and challenges … seriously, whatd’ya say?

In Peter’s first letter—remember, that this same Peter, the impetuous disciple of Jesus Christ; Peter, who jumped before he thought, and who, when Jesus was in his greatest time of trial, even though Jesus had warned him he would do so, this Peter still denied him.  He wrote these words, which have lodged deeply in my soul, as they seem to hold all we need for growing up in our faith:

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth

so that you have sincere love for each other,

love one another deeply, from the heart. 

For you have been born again, 

not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, 

through the living and enduring word of God.  

For, as the prophet—this is the prophet, Isaiah, from some 700 years before who wrote:  “All people are like grass,

    and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;

the grass withers and the flowers fall,

    but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

And this is the word that was preached to you.

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, 

hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, 

so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 

now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.^3,4 (NIV)

Christine

1 - James 1.6

2 – Romans 12.2

3 – 1 Peter 1.22 – 2.3

4 – Psalm 34.8