1 Timothy 4:1
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will renounce the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons
The one thing that I used to get in trouble for in school was talking. I was always a little bent toward being social and wanting to connect with my friends and peers in the classroom. Even now, my husband will have to remind me to shush at times when I want to make a comment or share my thoughts. I am a fan of side conversations and how good it feels to want to make that connection with someone.
The danger of being one of these people is that while I am trying to connect and make comments is that I can also miss what is going on. I can miss important information that the teacher is trying to convey. I can talk right through an important scene in a movie. I can miss details that could very much benefit everyone involved. Sometimes in life we can hit the back button or we have opportunities to catch up what we miss, but other times we risk missing out of connecting the wrong details of a story. And, not only can we miss things but we can also focus on the wrong things.
This text today warns us of the danger of paying attention to the wrong things. If we aren’t focused on where the Spirit is leading us we can easily become distracted and miss the road signs that are pointing us in the right direction. There are many opportunities to tune into the wrong things in the world whether through greed, selfishness or taking the easy route. And, yet, through the power of the Spirit we are called to pay attention and keep our eyes focused on where God is calling us each to go.
Prayer
God of patience, thank you for continuing to be alive and working in the world. Please help us to pay attention to where you are calling us to go and to not allow ourselves to become distracted by the things of this world. Help us to seek your call in all that we do. Amen.