Don't get distracted

“Therefore you shall be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess. – Deuteronomy 5.32-33

Our Christian walk is filled with far too many distractions. As we go along the way running the race that God has called us to we are meant to keep our eyes on Jesus. He is the Author and the Finisher of our faith.

But I don’t always keep my eyes on Christ. Sometimes my eyes wander to all the distractions of the world. I realise we have always had them, but the number of distractions today are almost overwhelming. Television, the internet, a plethora of electronic devices, Facebook, Twitter, texting, e-mail, and so many other things demand our attention. Most experts say now that the average user checks their smartphone somewhere around 100 times a day. I think it is probably much higher than that if you only count waking hours.

And that is only one of our distractions. Many of us do our Bible reading on a device – and where do we end up?

It is hard to not get off track. But apparently it was hard for Israel to stay on track as well. God had to warn them not to turn aside to the right or the left. The problem with giving in to our modern distractions is where they lead us once we take that first step off the path. Even as I type this I am tempted to check my Facebook. If we have ever needed the warning to stay on track it is today.

The only way to walk in God’s ways is to keep our eyes on Christ. We may have to take steps to make sure we don’t get distracted from pursuing Christ and His way.

Don’t get off track. Don’t let distractions affect you. Don’t turn aside for all the frivolities. Let’s keep our eyes on the Author and Finisher of our faith.