Read Matthew 13:3-8 & Matthew 13:18-19
Whenever I become focused on something, I am very productive. My problem is that, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become much more easily distracted. I’ll have a plan to get a certain amount done in a day, but all the little random things in life can cause me to easily get off track. It doesn’t help, either, that we live in a day where my phone buzzes every few minutes with a new message or notification. We live in a day and age where distractions are the norm. Jesus often spoke in parables to his listeners. Parables were stories that Jesus told to illustrate truths about the kingdom of God that not everyone understood. In the parable of the sower, Jesus tells of a farmer who scatters seed. Some of it fell along the path, some fell on rocky places, some among thorns, and some on good soil. After telling the parable, Jesus explained what the parable meant to his disciples. The first kind of soil that seed fell onto was the seed that fell along the path. This type of seed represents those who hear the message about the kingdom of God but doesn’t understand it. For them, the evil one comes and quickly snatches away what was going on in their heart after hearing God’s word like how birds come and snatch away seed left along the path. For many of us, life’s little distractions snatch up the potential for God to work in our lives. Many people who don’t have a relationship with God stop short of committing their lives to Him because, after they hear the good news that God loves them and has sent His Son to die on the cross for their sins, something distracts them from taking that next step. We live in a time where there are more things demanding our attention than ever before. From constantly checking social media to the smallest, seemingly insignificant distractions, we can easily lose our ability to engage with the world around us. A seed represents potential. In every moment there is great potential for God to do something big in our lives, but all of the little distractions we face daily snatch those opportunities away from us. Shifting our focus away from the distractions and fixing it on the right things can reveal the everyday purposes of God for us. REFLECT: What are some of the things that most often distract you? How do you think those things affect you spiritually? Are there some things you can put in place to help you become less distracted? PRAY: In your prayer time today, ask God to help you focus on Him and what He’s doing in your life. Ask Him to help you minimize the amount of time you spend distracted on insignificant things. // TWO-A-DAYS // GO A LITTLE FARTHER WITH YOUR DAILY DEVOTIONS // Go through these questions with your spouse, kids, or friend, or you can even journal about the answers to these questions:- What was the best part of your day?
- What was the toughest part of your day?
- Where did you mess up today?
- Where did you see God today?
Recent Comments