inspired by Fully Justified’s song “Rescue Me”

Click here to listen to “Rescue Me” by Fully Justified

Thirteen year old Sean and his father were walking down Main Street and noticed an unusual display in a shop window. “There’s a dog in that cage!” A large hand lettered sign on the cage read: “Death row!” This animal has one more day to live.” Sean stopped and looked at the small, brown eyed puppy inside. “What does that sign mean, Dad?” he asked. “It’s a new program that the animal shelter is trying out,” said his Dad. “They can’t take care of all the stray dogs and cats. This display lets people know about the problem and gives the animal’s one last chance to be adopted. If no one takes the puppy, he’ll be put to sleep.” “You mean this little puppy is going to be killed?” moaned Sean.  “Yes, Sean, he is.”

He stared through the glass at the unfortunate puppy. “Poor little guy,” he said sadly. “Oh Dad, can’t we take him home? Look, he likes us already.” Dad sighed. “We already have two hamsters.”  “But this is different,” Sean insisted. “This dog needs us, Dad. It sort of reminds of Jesus.” What do you mean? asked his Dad. “Well, you told me we were already condemned, on death row in a way, before Jesus saved us from our sins,” explained Sean. “If Jesus hadn’t rescued me, I’d still be on my way to hell. I want to rescue this dog like Jesus rescued me.”

Do you know that how you see Jesus determines what you receive from Him? If you see Jesus as your healer, you will receive healing. If you see Jesus as your refuge and fortress, you will receive protection. The people of Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown, saw Jesus in the natural. They said of Him, “Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us?” (Matthew 13:55–56) They saw Jesus in the natural. They did not see Him as God in the flesh. As a result, He could not do many mighty works there. (Matthew 13:58)

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Inspired by “Colors” by 3 Shades of Blue

Click here to listen to Colors by 3 Shades of Blue

Consider your attention span and how quickly your mind wanders. Your brain distracts you with daydreams, stress, or music. Add Twitter, smartphones, email, and countless other activities to the picture, and it’s a miracle if we can accomplish anything in a day. Take this devotional for example. I got so distracted today writing this, it took me an hour just to write the first paragraph.

According to a compelling infographic created by Assisted Living Today called “How Social Media Is Ruining Our Minds,” during the past 10 years, “the average attention span has dropped from 12 minutes to a staggeringly short 5 minutes.” Social media’s effect on our attention span impacts not only our ability to focus, but also our multitasking skills and social interactions. Distractions enter our faith too. They may take the form of a habitual sin that keeps us from consistently spending time with God or simply peripheral issues we fixate on that shift our focus from the gospel.

When a horse is pulling a carriage or running in a race, blinders may be covering the sides of its eyes. Blinders keep the horse focused on its path. Without blinders, the horse will want to study its surroundings. If a horse isn’t focused, getting it to follow a path poses a host of challenges. The blinders help avoid distractions. As Christians, just like a horse, we need something to function as a “blinder” in our lives. God has given us plenty of options, such as a mentor, someone older and more experienced to help us work through sidebar issues of Christianity while keeping us focused on what really matters: a relationship with God and how He’s using us in the world.

Distractions often draw us away from accomplishing our goal and purpose in life. We are and were created to praise God. We were created to please God and not ourselves and our friends. Distractions often attach themselves to something good and positive. Therefore, we must ask ourselves what are the consequences of this distraction and am I accomplishing my goal and purpose in life with this distraction. Distractions may cause us to lose focus on our dreams in life. Whether we want to make good grades, change our attitude, be more kind and friendly towards others, respect our parents and teachers more or simply liking who we are, if we allow ourselves to be distracted we may not do any of the things we really want do. When we fail to succeed we often become agitated and even frustrated. These emotions may lead to a desire to give up or quit on our dreams in life.  Continue Reading…