The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Delivered From Distraction"
How easily we can be distracted from God and His truth.
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone" (Matthew 23:23).
We must ever attend ourselves to "weightier matters." What truly has value in our lives and walk with God? In our ongoing fellowship with our Heavenly Father, few more valuable prayers can be addressed to Him than the request to be delivered from distraction and directed to that which truly benefits our honoring Him. "Search me… and see if there be any wicked way in me" requested the Psalmist (Psalm 139:24). Distraction from our Lord and His glory surely constitutes a "wicked way," one which only He can identify and root out of us. "Cleanse Thou me from secret faults" (Psalm 19:12).
Indeed, some things that may seem to us like distraction might actually not be. Scripture does not call the believer to a life of monastic escape from the world. We must rather be involved with things that matter to people if we are to have any identification with life as they know it. We have no voice to souls from afar, but must rather follow in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Word "made flesh" (John 1:14). Excepting involvement with sin, the Savior lived a human life so normal and ordinary that when He began His ministry, His own brothers did not know who He was (John 7:5). He was perfectly holy, but He walked in a manner that caused Him to appear as one of us. This would have involved participation in run of the mill circumstances and matters in which we would not expect "God… manifest in the flesh" to have been involved (I Timothy 3:16). Had one known who He was, and witnessed 30 years of normal human living before His ministry began, one might have thought of the Lord Jesus as distracted. Not so. Nor are all of our human activities distractions, but rather ways whereby we honor our Lord along the pathways of a fallen world, and also become available for genuine spiritual service to people. "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" (Mark 6:3).
Some things in our lives, however, may well be distractions. We must seek our Heavenly Father's guidance and searching to be sure that we do not venture upon diversions from the path of righteousness. In a world of 24/7, instantaneous communication of information, ideas, and images, our spiritual enemies constantly offer distractions like carnival barkers of old sought to draw people into their meaningless and mindless entertainments. Moreover, some ways of our lives that seem good and productive may actually be distractions from that that which is best for us. I write this as one who has too often been sidetracked by such enticements, and as one in great need of the Lord's ongoing searching and direction. Thankfully, He ever abides as patient and merciful with His children, and we (I) can seek His guidance in full confidence of His loving devotion to our need to be delivered from distraction and unto "the weightier matters" of the grace and truth of the Lord Jesus.
"Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; for He shall pluck my feet out of the net."
(Psalm 25:15)
"For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
(Hebrews 4:12)
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."
(II Timothy 3:16)
Weekly Memory Verse
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now."
(Philippians 1:3-5).
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