DISTRACTIONS ARE WRONG-WAY ATTRACTIONS

Tucked into the middle of one of Jesus' most popular parables is a powerful teaching about distraction. In Matthew 13, Jesus told and explained the Parable of the Sower (sometimes call the Parable of the Four Soils). In verse 22, Jesus was explaining the meaning of His parable and said:

As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

This verse seems to describe a person who is unable to fully accept the gospel of grace because they are distracted. Distractions are wrong-way attractions. Those who are attracted to what the world offers will always struggle to be attracted to what Christ offers.

The cares of the world often seem very important at the moment, but when we view them with the proper perspective, we discover they are not nearly as important as initially thought.

A great exercise to evaluate potential distractions is to use the 5x5 method (5 questions with the number 5) to determine whether something is BETTER or whether it is LESSER:

--> How much will it matter in 5 minutes?

--> How much will it matter in 5 days?

--> How much will it matter in 5 months?

--> How much will it matter in 5 years?

--> How much will it matter to the 5 people closest to me?

Don't let distractions derail your life. Learn to focus on the better thing instead of the lesser thing.

Check out this 4 week devotional about distractions