Without Carefulness and Without Distraction

Yesterday I brought an extremely important message to our congregation about the dangers of our modern age of technological advancement. We live in an age characterized by “the information explosion.” I pointed out that we have become a nation that is addicted to noise, constant contact, and instant information. All of this tends to crowd and overcharge the mind with the result that our love for the Lord Jesus Christ weakens or waxes cold, to borrow the language of our Lord in Matthew 24:12. I taught the church yesterday that Paul prophesied in 1Timothy 3:1-7 of perilous times in the last days. The men of these times “shall be lovers of their own selves” and “lovers of pleasures more than of God.” The love of God will definitely not be the most dominant influence in men’s lives. What I find alarming is that these times when the love of God will be suppressed, information will be exploding. During these days men shall be “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” There will be so much information available to learn, and yet with such a plethora of information there will be little arrival at truth. This led me to warn the church to keep the strictest guards on all the modern gadgets and entertainments that vie for the attention of our minds so that our love for God does not become choked by “cares and riches and pleasures of this life” (Luke 8:14).

There is a very relevant passage that I did not include in yesterday’s sermon that contains the two prepositional phrases in the title of this meditation. It is 1 Corinthians 7:29-35.

1 Corinthians 7:29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;
30 And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not;
31 And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.
32 But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:
33 But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.
34 There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
35 And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.

Let’s define the two nouns that I have italicized in this passage.

Carefulness – The quality of state of being careful. Solicitude, anxiety, concern. Heedfulness, vigilance, attentiveness, exactness, caution.

Distraction – A drawing or being drawn asunder. The drawing away (of the mind or thoughts) from one point or course to another; diversion of the mind or attention.

In the context of Paul’s admonition, carefulness refers to having things to care for.

To care for – to take thought for, provide for, look after, take care of.

If one is careful or full of care, he has a lot of things to care for. Therefore, to be without carefulness is to have fewer things to care for or to look after. The fewer things one has to look after, the fewer things there are to cause distraction, fewer things that draw the mind and thoughts away from what they should be focused upon. That is why I stressed in my message the necessity for stepping back from the rush and racket of our fast-paced life and considering our ways. How many activities do we do and how many things do we possess that needlessly clutter our lives and cause distraction? And make no mistake about it! Nothing pleases our adversary the devil more than to have our minds and thoughts so drawn away to other things, that we have difficulty focusing when it comes to attending upon the Lord.

In the passage we are considering Paul lists several things such as having a spouse, weeping, rejoicing, buying, possessing, and generally using the world. All these things he listed are certainly lawful and may be used. But he warns against their being abused. When these things so occupy our minds that they come ahead of the Lord and those things which He commands of us, then we have abused them. It is a great blessing to have a spouse. “Marriage is honourable in all” (Hebrews 13:4). But when the spouse is cared for ahead of the Lord, then the spouse has become a distraction. If you have time and money for cable television, movies, computer games, sports, internet surfing, vacations, or whatever; but you set aside little or nothing to give to God, you never crack a Bible, or you scarcely pray, you are not attending upon the Lord without distraction. No relationship, no grief, no pleasure, and no possession should ever be allowed to so claim our attention, that God’s interests get shoved into the background.

We would all do well to seek out ways to simplify our lives and eliminate cares so that we may attend upon the Lord without distraction. If something you are using is claiming too much attention, then cut it back or cut it out. I know whereof I speak. God willing, I will be hosting a day of prayer in my home in two days. Today I had a chance to go and do something that I very much enjoy, and when I say “very much” I mean very much. But I feared that engaging in this fun today might take too much out of me. I believe I need to rest up and orient my thoughts toward attending upon the Lord that day without distraction. Therefore, I declined the opportunity. Although this is displeasing to the flesh, I know I have made the right decision. This is just a tiny example of the kinds of decisions we sometimes ought to make so that, as Paul says, we “may attend upon the Lord without distraction.”

If it pains you to part with things to simplify your life or to eliminate distraction, then remember something I said yesterday in my sermon: We profess to be followers of One Who never owned a home and, when He needed an ass, He borrowed one. May God bless this meditation to your soul and to His glory. Amen.