DESTRUCTION BY DISTRACTION

Solomon, plain and simple, took his eyes off of God and his life proceeded to roll down a proverbial hill. Though he had been given the gift of great wisdom, the very idea of life had become burdensome to him, like grasping for the wind.

Plagued by our need to find meaning, we can't help but recognize that time just keeps ticking on. We do however try to control it or at the very least put boundaries around it, ignoring and even denying the fact that everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses.

To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV

Solomon contrasts the seasons of life in all their variety (read vs 2-8). Some see wonder, but keeping in step with Solomon, I think it's safe to say that he saw monotony.

What does the worker gain from his struggles? I have seen the task that God has given the children of Adam to keep them occupied. He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but no one can discover the work God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:9-11 CSB

God has planted eternity in the human heart, therefore we long for something meaningful that lasts. With Him, there's beauty; without Him, it can be quite frustrating. Why? Because God never gives man the satisfaction of fully understanding what He does, yet man never stops seeking to be on equal footing with God.

It's alarming to watch an unbelieving world practice insanity in the name of eternity; eternity on their own terms that is. Grab the power! Indoctrinate the people! Turn back the clock! Save the planet!

God has built into us a knowledge that there is something more that matters and many spin in circles trying to find it. But it's Him; He's the something; He's the One who fills the hole. Oh, but we're so easily distracted by the shiny thing in the corner aren't we? Distraction is the devil's greatest tool and we are on a rapid pace of destruction by distraction. We've been inundated with 'don't look over there, look over here' narratives. And now we've graduated into 2+2 doesn't always equal 4 and if you can add, you're racist. Boys can be girls and girls boys and if you know God and biology, you're evil. What is a woman anyway? Evil is good and good is evil, but again don't look over there, look over here.

Alarming indeed! There is just simply no way to deny that this level of widespread crazy goes far beyond flesh and blood. It's a spiritual battle

(see Ephesians 6:12).

However, even more alarming to me is the "Church" who has been duped into believing that they should ignore the culture, simply preach the Gospel, practice inclusion as the world does, and wait for Jesus. But the question on the table is did Jesus only preach the Gospel? Maybe we should take a look at His interactions with the Pharisees, Peter or Paul, the rich young ruler, the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery or the men who stood around waiting to stone her.

Jesus spoke truth on every level. He addressed the culture. Why wouldn't we? Did He not determine the times set for us and the exact places where we should live? Didn't He say that He's a lamp to our feet and a light to our path? Would He do so and then expect us to ignore where He put us?

I'll let that hang in the air for a moment.

How exactly do we meet the culture where the culture is if we bury our heads in the sand, or worse, like Solomon, join them in it? I can think of no situation in Scripture where God's true representatives ignored the culture. In fact, it was quite the opposite. They were very well aware of what was happening. They lived within the signs of the times and represented Truth; even to their detriment and death. Why in the name of all that is holy do Christians justify their choice to stay quiet and ignore evil? How can we be a light in the darkness if we ignore the fact that it's dark? How can lies be squelched by truth in silence?

Jesus said, “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! Matt 6:22-23 NLT

Yep, there it is. One of the many times Jesus spoke truth and because He loved people, He did so without compromise. Why do we think that we can love better than Jesus loved?

Oswald Chambers once wrote, "Is God’s will being fulfilled in that His Son has been formed in me, or have I carefully pushed Him to one side? Oh, the noisy outcry of today! Why does everyone seem to be crying out so loudly? People today are crying out for the Son of God to be put to death. There is no room here for God’s Son right now—no room for quiet, holy fellowship and oneness with the Father."

We see this distraction in Solomon. Rather than stand on God's word, he became part of the culture and his view of God was skewed. We must be aware of the devil's distractions; he desires nothing more than for you to cry out for the death of Jesus or simply stay quiet while He is erased.

“To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:

‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ (Matt 11:16-17 NIV)

We've become numb and desensitized to the world around us. People in Jesus day expected the Messiah to act in certain ways and when He didn't, they accused Him of being empowered by Satan (see Matt 12:27). Jesus's reply is sobering, “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me. Matt 12:30 NLT

When we're rejected by the world because Jesus asks us to stand with Him instead of with the culture, it's uncomfortable to say the least. We tend to make excuses for Him, trying to make Him into someone who is palatable.

Solomon served idols. He looked for excuses and many times chose to stay silent. He ignored what was right in front of him, allowing for egregious acts against God that included child sacrifice (see 1 Kings 11-4-11). My heart sinks as I think about how many babies are being sacrificed on our watch.

Will you stand with Jesus or will you follow Solomon's example?

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:10-13 NIV