I am inspired daily by James and many other people who are focused on their mission of being obedient to God and not distracted by their lives or this world. They know who they are in Christ. They know they were created on purpose—they know what their purpose is, and they will not be distracted from it. The solution to distraction is Jesus. If we keep our eyes on him, keep our ears tuned to his voice, and stay focused on the purpose he put inside of each of us, we will be less likely to be fooled by distraction.
Daily time spent in conversation with him will keep us focused on what is urgent. Daily time spent getting to know his character and his love for us through reading the Bible will show us what is important. Being obedient to what he has purposed us to do will be fun—not just fun—but a blast and the ride of a lifetime. I know from experience that you will never regret choosing obedience over distraction. Never! Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
“Mark out a straight path for your feet;
stay on the safe path; Don’t get sidetracked;
keep your feet from following evil.”
Proverbs 4:26-27 NLT
Jesus is the hope of the world, and we are his messengers. We deliver the good news of Jesus, tell of forgiveness and hope, and model freedom in Christ. We cannot be distracted; we have to be focused on finding every possible way to share Jesus. We have to make the best use of our time, and we have to believe that God has chosen us and appointed us to change the world for him.
“Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So, they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, ‘Young man, your sins are forgiven…’ ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!’”
Luke 5:18-20,24b NLT
The men carrying the paralyzed man were not distracted from their goal of getting their friend to Jesus. When their path was blocked, they climbed up to the roof. If there was a problem, they were going to find a solution. Can you imagine how hard that was? I struggle to get on the roof carrying only my own weight and using a ladder. They were carrying a paralyzed man who couldn’t help them at all. But that didn’t stop them; they were focused on their mission.
After what I am sure was an exhausting trek to the top of the house, they then had to pull up roof tiles and roofing, make a hole big enough for a man to fit through, and make a way to Jesus. They had to be determined, focused, and free of distractions.
They are so close! The men can see Jesus through the hole, now all they have to do is get their friend down to the feet of Jesus. The Bible doesn’t say how, but I’m sure it was just as creative as the way they got him up on the roof and then dug through the roof. When you are focused, creativity has room to bloom, and these men were focused. Their friend’s healing depended on it.
The paralyzed man was now at the feet of Jesus.
