We are a distracted people. Perhaps more than any generation before us, we are unable to focus on the moment at hand. This has had devastating effects on our ability to live as a true disciple of Jesus. A recent study showed the average person checks their smartphone 150 times each day. Another study revealed on average, a person spends 13 hours each week on the internet.
Yet one more study discovered the average person watches 34 hours of television each week. Are you kidding me? When do we expect to find time for Jesus? Everywhere we turn, we are facing distraction, and we are willfully giving in to this insidious trick of the devil.
Whatever happened to “All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give. I will always love and trust Him, in His presence daily live”? The words of that classic hymn point to an undistracted life, a life spent seeking Jesus and nothing else. David Platt has opined the top two characteristics of lives that count for the glory of Christ in the landscape of human history is they: 1) Treasure Christ above everything else this world has to offer, and 2) They trust in Christ to provide everything they could ever need. I submit to you if we were living out those characteristics in our daily lives, the distractions of Satan would hold no sway for us.
We become distracted because we do not treasure Jesus above everything else. You can rationalize all you want, but if Jesus is everything to you, you won’t waste your time pursuing things that aren’t Him. We also become distracted because we don’t trust Jesus to provide for all our needs. Instead we busy ourselves trying to “help God” by looking for ways to generate income and otherwise be responsible for our needs and desires.
George Mueller pastored a church for over 60 years without ever taking a salary. Along the way he opened seven orphanages and never asked for a dime of support. When he died, he had given away more than $7 million dollars to mission work. He was a brilliant picture of a man who lived his life in utter dependence on his Savior, a life focused and undistracted by the temptations of Satan. I crave a faith like his.
Living for Christ is never going to be popular. Becoming His disciple will never be easy. Your life will look different. It will appear strange to those around you. You may not have the newest electronic gadgets, drive the coolest car, or wear the trendiest fashions. All of those things are of no consequence to a disciple of Jesus. A true disciple is concerned with serving Christ. That’s it; nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else. We become distracted when we take our eyes off Jesus and lose focus of what He created us to do. Distraction does not exist in the life of a disciple. They are focused, they are driven, and they are not distracted. They live as George Mueller did. Oh, that we might do the same.