With every struggle I’ve ever had it comes down to one factor… my need to put my relationship with God first. 

That means that we are responsible when our mind wanders. We have to keep our thoughts in check. So I started to process “Ok what is distracting me, what does this statement mean?” And the image of Jesus on the cross came into mind and I saw the 2 men nailed next to him. I had to get my Bible to make sure that I remember it correctly but in Luke chapter 23 verse 40 to 43 it is talking about how everyone is throwing insults at Jesus when he is put onto the cross, even the one sinner next to him also nailed down is like if you are so holy just get yourself down and verse 40 starts...

“But the other criminal rebuked him (meaning the second criminal is speaking to the first criminal) It goes on to say, “Don’t you fear God,” he said “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

This criminal probably wasn’t a regular service attender, he probably wasn’t donating all he had, he obviously wasn’t on the right side of the law, but he saw who Jesus was and recognized how important Jesus was. Even as Jesus was suffering the most unimaginable pain, he could have rebuked this sinner like “who are you to talk to me?” but Jesus was concerned with this lost sheep even as he was dying. God doesn’t care about how many church services we attend or how many committees we serve on or how much we give financially; he cares about the state of our soul.

Do we know him? Do we realize we are broken, and he is the only glue that can put us back together? Do we desire to do his will? That’s what I believe God cares about.

So, no matter if you do a sunrise service or you do easter egg hunts or no easter bunny I think we get distracted with all those extras and we argue with each other over what is ok and what is not when in reality that isn’t where our focus needs to be. This is a season where we are celebrating the fact that Jesus finished it for us.

In the Bible he cries out “It is finished” or that is what the English translation is. The Greek word would have been “Tetelestai” which interestingly enough had several meanings in that time period.

#1 In a business context it indicated a literal debt was paid.

#2 In a judicial setting it meant that a sentence was fully served.

#3 In a military context it meant that a battle had been won.

So, Jesus was declaring that the debt of sin had been fully paid, the sentence of sin had been fully served and the spiritual battle against death and Satan was won! To me that is huge and a giant reminder that this historical event is what I need to stay focused on, not the bunny trails that my brain often wants to wander.

It is our job to keep our thoughts in check. Have you ever considered why our minds wander? If you think back to the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge. I believe that it is human nature to be curious and to seek understanding but how much of that comes from the initial sin in that garden?

God provides us with what we need, it is human sin and the freedom we have been given to choose sin over good that is what leads to the destruction of people and the evil things that happen daily. These events can also be distractions. It isn’t a bad thing to be informed of what is happening in the world because you don’t want to be naive, but it can also be a fear tactic that the enemy uses. There was a bridge that just collapsed in Maryland the other day and all-over social media you see people saying how this is going to affect supply chains for this and that and how now is the time to buy all these supplies and get prepared for not having access to this and that and how this is just the beginning of the world shut down and all this. But events like this don’t need to frighten us. 

We have to keep our focus on God and his path for us. We have nothing to fear, we don't need to worry about the distractions in the news. Psalm 121 says “Lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip- he who watchers over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you - the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

I thought it was really interesting, I was reading in my Bible Recap about Saul towards the end of his life. So he is about to go into battle with Philistines and he is asking God for guidance and is not getting a response so he goes to a medium who supposedly can talk to the dead and he asks her to bring up Samuel who has died. Now my understanding of mediums is that either they are faking it or when they bring a spirit up those are demonic spirits. And people will be like “no they really were talking to my family member because they knew things that no one else would have” It is scary to think about, but Satan isn’t stupid, he studies us. He knows us. So of course he is going to know the inner workings of us. Of course, he is going to be able to pull off a stunt like that but anything to do with mediums or readings all of that stuff is demonic.

So, when this medium calls forth Samuel he appears, and she screams. My understanding is that this was not what she was used to, and the Bible Recap explains that in this situation God was actually intervening and Samuel was actually there based on this lady's reaction. But Saul says to Samuel what am I supposed to do, God is not answering me. And Samuel is like, you don’t get it, you didn’t follow Gods path, why would he keep talking to you if you weren’t going to listen in the first place. Sometimes when we allow ourselves to become so taken with the distractions around us, we veer off the path God set for us and then we are asking for help, but we want his help on our new self-created path and he is like nope I’m not helping you until you come back to the starting point where I wanted you. 

And that is why it is so important for us to invest in our relationship with God. Reading our Bible even if it is only a verse or two; it gives us something to maul over, something for our minds to focus on. And second is talking to God. We don’t have to have a prayer closet, we don’t have to have a daily on our knees prayer session, it can be while your washing dishes or rocking the baby. Telling God what is on your mind, asking for clarity, asking for guidance, thanking him for what he has given you. God wants us right where we are. He doesn’t want the world to distract us from the fact that even the most broken can be fixed through him we just have to ask. 

I pray that this can be an encouragement for you as you go through your week. No matter how broken we feel, God can glue us back together. Until next time I pray that your coffee is strong, your patience is stronger and that your light shines the strongest.

If you enjoyed reading this, make sure to listen to it on my podcast!

Love,

Lindsay