Based on “Living or Dying - We WIN!” by Pastor Mark Balmer; 7/17-18/10,
Message #6055; Daily Devotional #6 - “Distractions”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): I recently saw a church sign that read, “Honk if you love Jesus. Text while driving if you want to meet Him soon.” The sign made me laugh, but the underlying statement was quite serious; failing to keep your eyes on the road because you’re sending and receiving text messages while driving is dangerous and could cause a car accident. Everyone knows that when driving a car, focus should be kept on the road ahead, yet it’s so easy to be distracted by what’s going on inside our phones. Likewise, as Christ followers, we know we need to keep our eyes on Jesus, but it’s often easy to get distracted by what’s going on in our daily lives.
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): In the literal sense, telling someone to “keep their eyes on Jesus” doesn’t make much sense because Jesus is in heaven and the Holy Spirit is a Spirit. There is nothing for us to actually see (2 Corinthians 4:18). We can, however, see the Bible. We can hold it, touch it, feel it, but most importantly, we can read it. For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): On the road of life, the Bible (the Word of God) keeps our focus where it belongs, which is on Jesus Christ. It keeps us centered, keeps our paths straight, and gives us the wisdom we need to navigate our way through life. O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of Your people, and fix their heart toward You.(1 Chronicles 29:18, NKJV)
Cultivating (Additional Reading): Psalm 19:8; Psalm 25:15; Proverbs 4:20-22
GH
Calvary Chapel of Melbourne; 2955 Minton Road; W. Melbourne, FL 32904; 321-952-9673
All Bible references are from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise noted.
New King James Version = NKJV.