Don't Be Distracted

“For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ…” –Philippians 3:18-20

Writing this week my heart breaks as did Paul’s in his letter to the Philippians because a majority of us are “living as enemies of the cross of Christ” without even realizing it. Here’s a question for you, and take some time to think through this and be honest with yourself:

How many of your decisions are based off of making yourself happy? How many are based off of glorifying Christ?

I think far too often even our efforts to please others, make them happy, have them like us can often be in opposition of glorifying Christ. We’ll do and say things just to have others like us, get promoted, or be talked about knowing that it is not glorifying to the Lord. Then we justify it because it “wasn’t that big of a deal” or it made someone else happy/feel better. We are distracted by our physical appearance, social status, careers, and dating relationships that following Christ falls down to the end of our “to do” list. When Paul says “their stomach” it means their appetite or their desires. We get so distracted by the “get mine” mentality of what we want or what this world tells us we need that we lose focus of what really matters. It's scary how quickly we become "enemies of the cross". We trust God with our eternity and say we want Heaven, but don’t trust God with today and live to glorify Him. How crazy is that? What a humbling thought to realize how much time I’ve wasted thinking/worrying about myself instead of spending more time growing and learning about God. The God I get to spend eternity with.

It’s tough. I mean it. It has been tough to look into my own life and realize the areas that I have continued to live in a way that is not glorifying to the Lord. I so easily get distracted by things that truly do not matter. Have you ever worried about something and let it upset/bother you so much, and then a couple months/years later realize it was so stupid to worry about that? Focus on the things that matter, the things that matter for eternity. Turn off the TV, get in the Word. Stop gossiping about people, pray instead. This week has been so much sweeter as I’ve focused on things for eternity, and slowly all the distractions start to fade into the background of the great light that is Christ in my life. I know I can't change on my own or flip a switch and stop being distracted, but I've seen that when I come to Him...He changes me. It is awesome.

I loved David's question to us on Tuesday night, “What did you do this past week that matters for eternity”?

My prayer for all of us is that when asked that question we could daily say that we are doing things for Christ, doing things that matter.

“The strength to live for Christ today is knowing that he is coming tomorrow.”- David Marvin.

He is coming back and, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” –Romans 21:4

“Don’t make much of yourself; make much of your God.” He is what matters. This is not our home, our citizenship is in Heaven. Don't be distracted.

Praying for you all~