Live Free with Josh Howerton - Devoted, Not Distracted • Pastor Carlos Erazo | Ep. 181 | Monday October 16, 2023

Episode Date: October 16, 2023

In today’s culture, our attention is the new currency. What has our attention has our devotion. Jesus calls us to be devoted to Him, not distracted. So how do we live devoted to Jesus in a world of distractions? Join us today with Pastor Carlos Erazo to hear why Jesus wants us to focus on His kingdom, not our own. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.combe.com slash daily drive. In this week's episodes, we will be hearing from our special specials. guest, Pastor Carlos Arazo. And now, let's dive in to today's devotional. Well, hey guys, welcome to our daily drive.

If we haven't met, my name is Carlos, and I get to be a part of the pastoral team here at Lake Point, and we get to hang out this week for a few minutes every day as we dive into the Word of God. And let me start here to set us up for what we will be talking about this week. So some of you guys might not know this about me, but I was actually born and raised in El Salvador. And it wasn't until some years ago that I moved to the U.S.

and became a citizen recently. and since I moved, I've had to learn more about American culture, which is just a tad different than the culture that I was raised in. And some time ago, a friend and a church online served team member texted me asking if I wanted to go with him to go watch a professional football game. Now, at the time, I knew absolutely nothing about professional football. I'm more of a basketball and NBA fan myself. I've never been to a game before, but he mentioned that the Dallas Cowboys would be

playing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with this player that I did not really know much about. What was his name? Oh, yeah, Tom Brady. So, mind you, usually when I'm doing something for the first time, I will naturally ask lots of questions and educate myself about what I'm getting myself into after accepting this invitation to go watch this football game. And on our way, my friend told me everything I needed to know about the sport and the teams. I learned that Tom Brady apparently is the goat, the greatest of all time.

in the history of football, I had no idea. He played in the Super Bowl like 10 times. He's won like seven times. He's most valuable player five times. And I couldn't believe I thought then, man, now I get to watch him play. Now we were in the game surrounded by 80,000 people in the stadium. And then Tom Brady comes out to warm up with his team. And suddenly, you can just hear the crowd do one of two things.

either start cheering really loudly for him or start booing him really strongly against him. Literally, everybody was looking at him. Some were applauding him. Others were booing him. Some brought signs with his name on them to motivate him. Others were just trying to mock him. In addition to that, there were photographers, video cameras, cheerleaders, a huge screen focusing on him as he prepared for the game. It was awesome. And amidst all of that, I wondered, how does Tom Brady stay focused on what really matters in that moment? Like, think about it with me. In that moment, the cheering, the booing, the cameras, the crowd, the noise, all of that is just a distraction.

All those things are just trying to rob his attention to distract him from playing his best. I mean, in that moment, anything that doesn't help him play his best game and win is a distraction. And yet this guy was absolutely full. focused on his game. And honestly, I start here because this is kind of what it feels like today to be a follower of Jesus in the time and culture that we live in. The Bible says Jesus calls us to follow him, to be in this world, but not of this world. He's chosen us to be his, to be holy, to be in community, to be on mission as God brings salvation, healing justice, restoration to the world in his creation, he calls us to himself to live a life that's countercultural, to live

not focused on temporary things or things that don't matter, but on heavenly things, to focus not on our own kingdom, but on his kingdom. And yet, there are all these distractions. It's been said that your attention is the new currency. Few of us ever wonder why we don't pay for our social media platforms like Facebook or YouTube and TikTok, but the truth is, we are paying for it. Maybe not with money, but with something that's actually more significantly, more valuable. And that's your time and your attention. And that's why all of these companies want

you to listen to this. Pay attention. Like most of you, I'm on my phone quite a bit. I find myself scrolling on social media too much. I feel like I'm constantly in a hurry. I have work that I need to attend to. Family to take care of. I'm trying to keep up with my friends. And I sometimes feel like I consume too much entertainment. We got like, you know, Netflix subscriptions, Hulu, Disney Plus, all the pluses. I know Jesus calls me to live this. radical, self-denying, gospel-centered, abundant life, walking with him, fully devoted to him, and yet I often feel tired, anxious, distracted. And sometimes, if I'm really honest, it's easy for my relationship and discipleship to Jesus

to kind of take a backseat to all of the other stuff that I have going on in my life. So our questions for today and this week is, how do you live devoted to Jesus in a time full of distractions? And today we'll start by exploring this theme. You are called to be devoted, not distracted. And we'll briefly look at the life of two women that were followers of Jesus. So jump with me to Luke chapter 10, verse 38. It says this.

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said, but Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. So she came to him and asked, Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me. Martha, Martha, the Lord answered,

you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed. or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her. So let's talk about Martha. The words that the author of Luke uses to describe Martha is distracted, busy, worried. Some other translations use the word anxious and upset. Anybody else feeling like these days?

I mean, listen to this, distracted, busy, worried, upset. It's almost as if one leads to the other. as if letting your distractions get the best of you leads to being busy, then being busy leads to being worried, and then being worried leads to being upset. That's, that's Martha. And here's what I find interesting. Martha isn't distracted, busy, worried, and upset because she's doing something sinful or selfish or because she's on her phone all day or watching too many Netflix crime shows or doing anything wrong. No, she's actually preparing a meal for Jesus and his disciples, which is, Honestly, something that's really good.

And this is a reminder. Oftentimes, it is good things that can distract you the most from Christ. So let me just take a second and ask you this. What are those things in your life? Even those good things that might be distracting you from what is most important. Distracting you from living the life that Jesus is calling you to live, from spending that time in prayer and solitude in the presence of Jesus from gathering with other friends and family to encourage one another to love and serve each other and follow

Jesus. Martha was doing what she was supposed to do, what needed to be done, and yet Jesus was right there in front of her, waiting for her to turn to him. Jesus wants Martha's attention because, listen to this, what has your attention, has your devotion. And the same is true about you today. Jesus wants your attention above all the other distractions in your life because ultimately Jesus wants your devotion. So that's Martha. Now, Mary, on the other hand, I love this so much, she's doing only two things. She sits and she listens.

That's it. Now, to sit at someone's feet was a technical term in those days to becoming a disciple of a Jewish rabbi. And so to learn from your teacher, it was to become like your teacher. to demonstrate devotion to your teacher. And it's interesting, if you read the text carefully, Martha tells Jesus, Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me. Classic older sister stuff.

Did you catch that? Martha said, my sister has left me. Which means Mary at some point left early, which implies she was helping with preparation. But maybe there was a moment where she's like, hey, let me just stop what I'm doing. Jesus is here. I don't want to miss this moment. Let me go sit and listen. What would it look like if today in the middle of your busy schedule at some point you say, hold on, let me just stop what I'm doing. Jesus is here. I don't want to miss this moment. Let me just sit and listen. And you took a moment to do that and simply pray. Simply sit. Simply stop. Simply think him. Hey, let me just end our time.

today with Jesus' words to Martha and I want you to imagine Jesus gently saying this to you as he did to Martha when he said, hey, you are worried and upset about many things. But honestly, few things are needed or indeed only one. And that's being with Jesus in his presence. Today, don't miss the most important thing by letting yourself be distracted with the many things. You are called to be devoted, not distracted. We'll see you. We'll see you. tomorrow. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our church online live weekend services on Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. Central Standard Time. Also, if this podcast was helpful to you, would you be sure to rate,

review, and share this podcast to help get the word out? For more information about all digital ministries of Lake Point, visit lakepoint.compt.com.com. daily drive.