What you’ll learn today

For this article I have a couple of records from the Bible, an encouraging psalm, a famous quote from a 6-time world champion, and a personal story. From this article, I hope that you will develop greater believing in God and see that prioritizing Him over worldly distractions is always better, and that He will always be there for you when you do.

What are the things of God, exactly?

The things of God are His works, His righteousness, His wisdom, His instruction, His truth, His deliverance, and His characteristics: it’s everything that is done by Him and is attributable to Him. If God has provided it, we should chase and cherish it.

1 Corinthians 2:1-2 (KJV) – And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

When Paul went to the Corinthians, his only concern was to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ as his resurrection. He had his priorities straight. Paul had an incredible impact in Corinth and in his ministry broadly because of his focus on the things of God, such as the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Colossians 3:1-2 (KJV) If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

When we prioritize God and His ways, we will have our needs met by Him. That’s what we’ll see in these next examples.

Jews are thirsty

Exodus 14:30-31 (KJV) – Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.

Exodus 14 is when Moses delivered the Jews out of the slavery of Egypt, where they’d been slaves for 200 years. They just saw God part the Red Sea and then walked across dry land to toward the promised land, and they’ve been in the desert just a few days.

Exodus 15:22-24 (KJV) – So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?

What did the Jews do? The Jews grumbled and complained against the man of God, Moses, which is definitely an unthankful and worldly, old man nature thing to do. You can complain so much that you find comfort in it, and it looks like this is what’s happening. They would rather complain about a leader than believe in God.

Proverbs 18:21 (KJV) says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” What murmuring does is get you in a cycle of doubt and unbelief. It teaches your brain to focus on negativity, on the glass half empty. The Jews got distracted from their recent and future deliverance by concentrating on their physical needs and present circumstances. We’re called to be believers, not doubters.

What did Moses do? He turned his attention not to the distraction of thirst and discomfort, but directly to God. That’s what a believer does. What better place to set your heart on mind on, am I right?

Exodus 15:25-27 (KJV) – And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them, And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.

God met their physical needs immediately and then led them to a place where there was an abundance of resources. This is an Ephesians 3:20 outcome, which says (AMP) “Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us,“. That power of God was working in Moses through his believing and reliance on God.

The Jews hunger

So they continue on in their journey away toward the promised land, let’s see what happens 2 verses later.

Exodus 16:1-3 (KJV) – And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

The Jews were basically saying, “Wow we had it so good back when we were slaves.” The Jews were being biased, which is an old man nature attribute. God is not biased, Deuteronomy 32:4 (KJV) says, “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” Since God is truth, everything that He says and does for us is honest. When we prioritize those things, we not only are safe and taken cared for, but we are also blessed. However, the Jews were romanticizing the past, making things seem better than they were. God sent Moses not only to save them physically, but also spiritually. When God sent Moses to free them, God told Moses the following:

Exodus 3:7-8 (KJV) – And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

So the Jews really didn’t have it as good as they were making it out to be. But they were so focused on the discomfort of their circumstances that they forgot about the deliverance and power of God. They looked back and cherished their old ways, rather than following God’s ways and His deliverance. What the Jews were forgetting was what they needed most: God.

So what did God do? In the next verses, He showed them that they did not need that old lifestyle they were delivered from, they needed Him.

Exodus 16:4-8 (KJV) – Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt: And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that he heareth your murmurings against the LORD: and what are we, that ye murmur against us? And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.

By complaining about Moses and Aaron who were carrying out the will of God, the Jews were complaining about God. Moses and Aaron admonished them for that while God also provided more deliverance so they could continue on their journey. To me, this is one of the most outstanding examples of God’s mercy.

Exodus 16:12-15 (KJV) – I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God. And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.

God fed them bread in the morning and quail in the evening, and Moses made sure to remind them that God provided. God satisfied them with His power and mercy. The Jews didn’t need the things of the world to be taken cared for, they needed to set their hearts on God, which thankfully for them Moses and Aaron did as leaders. Without them, I honestly think the Jews would have turned back to Egypt and begged to be slaves again.

Let’s be honest, the temptation is real

If you don’t think we don’t sometimes think this way now, think again. It’s not hard to live in the past and crave comfort and pleasures over obedience and trust in God. If these things weren’t legitimate distractions, the devil never would have tempted Jesus with them.

Luke 4:3-4 (KJV) – And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

This was the first temptation. And the second:

Luke 4:5-7 (KJV) – And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

Let’s see how Jesus responded.

Luke 4:8 (KJV) – And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Jesus handled this the right way. If Jesus were on earth today, he might make a commercial saying “If I can do it, you can do it too!… My line is always open, 24/7 customer service… satisfaction guaranteed… may experience better results than expected.” Jesus showed us the the way to put God first over the world, so that we could too.

Endless water

John 4:7-14 (KJV) – There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

This teaching is about the basics of Christianity. This is the stuff we need to practice the most. I participated in organized sports when I was a kid. In baseball, did we practice diving catches, catching balls over the fence that were nearly homeruns, or triple plays, or hitting the ball into the corner of the field so that we could get an inside-the-park-home run? Not really, not as much as we practiced fielding the ball when it was hit on the ground bouncing toward us, throwing to the bases, batting to connect with the ball, and having our feet set properly so that we had leverage and momentum to to swing the bat. We practiced the fundamentals. Those were the fundaments because they happen most often, so there’s bigger upside when you do them right and bigger downside when you don’t. Games are lost and won by whether you can perform the fundamentals. Michael Jordan, the GOAT of basketball (not baseball lol), a 6-time NBA champion, has said, “The minute you get away from fundamentals – whether its proper technique, work ethic or mental preparation – the bottom can fall out of your game, your schoolwork, your job, whatever you’re doing.”

Prioritizing the things of God by putting your trust in Him is so fundamental that it can be a matter of life or death (not to be dramatic though). What shall we choose? LIFE!

Psalm 84 (KJV) – (To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.) How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah. Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God. O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah. Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

In conclusion

Distractions are tricky because they don’t have to be all or nothing. They can at first be just a little distracting, like a baby mouse. But over time, they can grow into a giant elephant in the room. It’s harder to course-correct a giant elephant than a baby mouse. So, identify and solve your little distractions before they grow into something mighty. I challenge you to self-evaluate and find one thing you can do in your life to prioritize the things of God over the things of the world. I know what my thing is. When we prioritize God over the world, we will be taken care of and blessed by God, and we will be more capable of doing the Word of God. We can then be the example to follow and inspire others to live faithfully for God as well!

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