I like traveling. Not so much the driving long distances part, but I enjoy different types of scenery. I travel for my job a lot and usually my goal is to get from home to my work location as soon as possible. I always map out my trip using one of my online apps and I normally choose the fastest route. Along the way, I sometimes pass signs along the route showing me historic sites or scenic views. It is really hard for me not to stop because I love history. But I know if I stop, it will take me longer to get to where I am supposed to be. It is a distraction for me.
We face distractions every day. In our jobs, in our marriages, in ministry and just in everyday life. In fact, there are more distractions today than there ever have been.
Cell phones are one of the greatest distractions because they give us information and entertainment on command. Employees get fired because they look at their phone more than they do their job. Husbands and wives don’t communicate because they are both paying attention to their phones while sitting right next to each other. Marriages break because phones give unlimited access to porn.
Ministries crumble because of comparison to other ministries. Pastors fall because of affairs within the church, or they are caught watching porn. We see it happen on the news and all around us. People stop going to church because of the gossip being talked about by the church members.
All because of distractions. Distraction from responsibilities. Distraction from relationships. Distraction from purpose. And distraction from the one thing that really matters….Jesus.
Luke 10 tells us about the day that Jesus was in Jerusalem preparing for his last days on Earth. He stopped by Martha’s house in nearby Bethany. Martha’s sister, Mary, was there and when Jesus arrived, Martha began cooking a meal. As she was getting everything ready, she looked over and saw Mary sitting on the floor in front of Jesus, her eyes and ears fixed on everything he was saying. And Martha got upset and wanted to know why Jesus didn’t care that Mary was not helping her in the kitchen. Jesus replied to Martha, ““you are worried and distracted by so many things, but only one thing is necessary and that is what Mary has chosen. It will not be taken away from her.”
Distractions.
During World War II, allied ships sometimes had to travel through waters that were surrounded by enemy ships. Even though the enemy posed a threat, they were no match for the US and British Naval powers who were much faster and more powerful. The allied missions were usually to get to a strategic position to protect territory or take back territory which had been attacked and taken.
The mission was simple: to get from one point to the destination as fast as possible. Many times, the enemy would fire upon the ships to get them to try to maneuver away from the course they were on. They knew that if they could get the allied ships distracted, then they could slow them down enough to delay them from reaching their destination.
Thus, the phrase “stay the course” was born.
No matter what the enemy was doing to distract the allied ships, their instruction was to get to their destination as soon as they could. They were called to “stay the course” and not allow distractions to prevent them from doing so. As I was taught in high school geometry, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
As Christians and ministers of the Gospel, our primary mission is to tell people about Jesus. Pastors also have a responsibility to lead people toward Jesus. One thing. Just one thing matters.
When we let what the modern church down the road is doing to get people in the door, or what someone in that church is saying about other people or how many more people that church has in service, then we are choosing MORE THAN ONE THING. And those other things are keeping or delaying us from getting to where we are needed to be in order to protect the territory.
Stay the course. Get to the destination as soon as possible. Don’t let the distractions make you change your course. Focus on the ONE THING.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” – Philippians 4:8
higley rides again 