Easily Distracted

On Sunday, February 17th, I started off my sermon by talking about how I get easily distracted while driving.  I just can't help myself.....I like to check out everything around me!  And for some reason, I seem to get most distracted when Heidi is sitting in the passenger seat next to me.  Those times have lead to some interesting comments from her over the years.  LOL.  Of course, in recognizing this affliction, I've come to the conclusion that my iPhone belongs tucked away in the glove box or center console away from view.  Now THAT would truly be a dangerous distraction.

But there is a not-so-funny story in the Bible about distraction.  The Old Testament book of Haggai, though very short, tells of an important tale of the people of Israel after the destruction of Solomon's temple in 586 BC.  Taken into exile by the rulers of Babylon, the Israelites were finally set free years later by Cyrus the Great (after Cyrus - from Persia - overthrew the Babylonian empire).  The chosen people of God were now free to restore the splendor of their once mighty temple.  Woohoo!  Well....the Israelites may have been excited in the beginning....but the giddiness soon faded.  The temple project was fraught with delays and after many years only a weed-infested foundation lay as a testament to their lack of follow-through.  Of course....the question is.....what happened?

Well...in short....they got distracted.  In Haggai 1:4 we find the prophet Haggai delivering a message from God.....warning the Israelites that they should not be living in "paneled houses" while the temple sits unfinished.  This reference to "paneled houses" indicates that many of the Israelites were "movin' on up" (just like The Jeffersons) to fancier and fancier subdivisions.  God's chosen people had become so concerned with their own personal wealth and prosperity that they neglected to finish the temple so that God could live and fellowship with them. The nation of Israel had become distracted by material wealth.

I recently found an article called Standards of Living and Modern Economic Growth by John Nye (professor of economics at Washington University in St. Louis).  The focus of the article was articulating just how much our modern standard of living has increased around the globe - especially in the past 300 years.  The data was astounding.  Never has there been a time when average people, world-wide, have enjoyed such economic prosperity.  As the article stated, "in the most successful countries, the average citizen now enjoys a material standard of living that would have made the greatest king of two hundred years ago turn green with envy."

So here's the big question:

If the distraction of material wealth was a problem for the people of Israel back then, how much more is it a problem today?

There are a number of lessons to be learned from Haggai 1:2 - 11:

• Without the Holy Spirit we are selfish.
• Materialism separates us from God.
• Even after we are delivered from hard times, we tend to get complacent.
• God wants to be our top priority.
• Chasing after anything but God only leaves us wanting.

As C.S. Lewis wrote:

And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history - money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery - the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.

Audio Recording of "Easily Distracted"

Sermon Notes for "Easily Distracted"