As Delta Airlines Flight 5191 left its gate at Bluegrass Airport, near Lexington, Kentucky, nothing seemed unusual. It was the morning of August 27, 2006, and as the pilots taxied toward the runway they made light conversation. That morning's flight would have been like any other, were it not for a fatal error—the pilots took their plane to the wrong runway.
Within a few minutes, the flight was over. All the passengers, and most of the crew members, were dead. Because the pilots had become complacent and distracted, they failed to follow proper procedures—procedures that, if followed, would have stopped them from using a too-short runway.
That horrible accident is a graphic illustration of the danger associated with distraction. No, distraction does not always lead to physical death, as it did for those aboard Flight 5191 that morning. But sometimes it can lead to something far worse—the loss of salvation, and of eternal life as part of God's family.
As Christians, we face many distractions along our journey through this life. If we do not identify and avoid these distractions, we may fail to reach our ultimate goal—to be part of the Kingdom of God.
What is distraction? To be distracted is to turn aside. Jesus Christ tells us to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33). Anything that tempts us to turn aside or to detour from that instruction is a distraction. Our goal as Christians is to follow Christ's instruction—and all it entails—with singleness of purpose. This is the challenge we have been given, and we know that once we put our hand to the plow, we must not turn back (cf. Luke 9:62).
Christ told His disciples, "No servant can serve two masters" (Luke 16:13). Serving the world precludes service to God. Though we do reap many rewards in this life, our primary reward is not to be had in this life. To reap the reward God has for us—to obtain the crown that has been reserved for us—we must not let ourselves become distracted.
In the parable of the sower and the seed, Jesus illustrates what will happen to those who have received God's word if they let the distractions of this life go unchecked. We read that the seed sown among thorns are "those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity" (Luke 8:14). Life offers many pleasures, but we must recognize those pleasures for what they are—temporary— and we must not let them distract us from what is eternal. Not all pleasure in this life is evil (see James 1:17), but we must not pursue pleasure in an unbalanced way that becomes a distraction from our eternal goal.
Although the pursuit of material gain—riches and pleasures— has been the downfall of many, there are other distractions that Christians must face and overcome, lest we reap a bitter result. In Matthew 14, we read of Christ in the midst of a storm, walking across the water toward the boat where His disciples were. At first, the disciples—not recognizing that it was Jesus approaching— were startled and alarmed by the image of a man walking on water. But Christ then spoke to His disciples to comfort them, and Peter asked to come to Christ on the water. When Peter jumped out of the boat, he began to do what seemed physically impossible—he walked on water. But as soon as he became distracted, he began to sink.
It was not materialism or pleasure- seeking that distracted Peter. Rather, his attention was diverted from our Savior by the presence of physical danger. He became distracted by an obstacle that was— until that point—no threat at all. Only when he let his attention be diverted did he face any real danger. Essentially, while he was on his way to meet Christ, he became concerned about not making it. As a result, he came up short, and began to sink before Jesus reached down to rescue him. As long as Peter's attention was fixed on Christ, he could do the impossible with his Savior's help. However, once his attention was distracted away from Christ, he began to falter.
If we keep our attention firmly fixed on our Savior, and on preparing for His return, we can draw help and strength from Him—and we can make progress toward our goal. But if our attention is diverted— even temporarily, as Peter's was— our forward progress comes to an abrupt halt. Like Peter's walking on water, the task we have been given—overcoming our carnal nature and building God's holy and righteous character—is humanly impossible. But we can do it—with God's help through His Holy Spirit. If we doubt this—if we become fearful about our ability to make it into the Kingdom—we become distracted from the source of our strength and the reason for our progress, and in essence we repeat Peter's mistake.
Distracted by Need?
Peter needed Christ, and so do we. Our Savior teaches us this lesson in many ways, just as He taught it differently to various of His followers as recorded in Scripture. We read that Martha was busy preparing food for her guests while Jesus was teaching His disciples at her home (Luke 10:38–42). Martha's sister Mary chose not to help in preparing the food; instead, she devoted her attention to Christ's teaching. This annoyed Martha, and she took her concern to Jesus, expecting that He would chastise Mary for failing to help. Much to Martha's surprise, Jesus praised Mary and corrected Martha, saying "you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her" (vv. 41–42).
Notice that Christ did not deny the value of what Martha was doing. Still, He admonished Martha for placing too much importance on the physical. Although Martha was sincere and conscientious—both wonderful character traits—she let the pursuit of physical nourishment distract her from seeking spiritual nourishment. Martha was confused about what Christ wanted from her, so she kept busy by attending to what was far less important—a physical meal for her guests. We must never forget that our heavenly Father knows our needs, and that if we are first and foremost seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness, He will provide those needs for us (Matthew 6:32–34). Christ could easily have fed all those who were gathered at Martha's house, just as He had earlier fed loaves and fishes to the multitude (Luke 9:11–17).
Being distracted by the physical, Martha had missed out on a rare opportunity to actually sit at her Savior's feet, where she could have listened to Him speak, asked Him questions and heard His answers. She must have deeply regretted her choice later, but by then the priceless opportunity was gone.
Some distractions may be easier to recognize than others. Distractions that appeal to the lust of our flesh, or to the lust of the eyes, may be obvious, compared to the more subtle distractions that appeal to our pride of life (1 John 2:16). But every type of distraction can be equally devastating spiritually. Whether we turn aside because we fear or lust after the physical, or because we "need" to do something else, or because our pride may be at stake, we must always be on guard against the terrible consequences of distraction.
The problem of distraction is serious, but we should never lose hope that we can overcome it. In the pages of Scripture, and in the lives of those around us, we can find many wonderful examples of people who continually press forward toward the goal, without deviation. These people are following biblical principles which, if put into action, provide a safeguard against distraction.
The Apostle Paul wrote, "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13–14).
Paul was not complacent. He did not take success for granted. Rather than take it as a foregone conclusion, he worked actively to attain his goal. He made it a practice not to look backward; instead, he pressed forward to reach his objective. Paul could easily have become distracted if he had allowed himself to dwell on the trials that were behind him (2 Corinthians 11:23–27). Yet he did not waste his time dwelling on why his life had turned out as it had, or lamenting over his past mistakes. He did not play the "What if?" game. Once he put his hand to the plow, he kept his attention on his task, working toward its completion and encouraging others to do the same.
Advice for Kings
Ancient Israel's kings faced great distractions. Some, like King Solomon, show the sad result of distraction (1 Kings 11:1–8). Others, like King Josiah of Judah, set a tremendous example of dedication without distraction.
God inspired His instructions to Israel's kings to be recorded in Deuteronomy 17—not only for the kings' benefit, but for ours today. Any king who followed those instructions would be able to focus on his task, and rule with wisdom. If we follow those instructions today, we too will be kept from distraction.
We read that the king should not become sidetracked by the acquisition of horses (Deuteronomy 17:16). Horses were used to pull chariots, so great numbers of horses represented not only wealth, but also military might. In ancient Israel, as today, God as a loving and protective Father wants His chosen people to rely on Him to fight their battles.
God also warned the king against multiplying to himself silver and gold (v. 17). This advice is just as appropriate today as when it was written millennia ago, as we see so many in our society being distracted by the desire for wealth. These precious metals are not only a symbol of wealth; they are often the cause of much suffering and grief. Even Solomon, who greatly multiplied silver and gold to himself, came to recognize this as a vain pursuit (Ecclesiastes 2:8–11).
Solomon went on to write: "He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase" (Ecclesiastes 5:10). Solomon learned the hard way that gaining material possessions does not provide happiness, and that the pursuit of riches is merely a distraction from what is most important in life. We have Solomon's example, so we need not learn the hard way ourselves.
God also forbade the king from multiplying wives (Deuteronomy 17:17). Kings and wealthy men in those days often had many wives, but God warned against this practice. He was not trying to keep the king from enjoying life; rather He sought to protect him from the inevitable sad consequences that follow certain choices.
Not only did God warn the king what not to do; He also gave direction regarding what the king should do. The king was to write out a personal copy of God's word (vv. 18–19). Not only did this ensure that the king had his own physical copy of Scripture; it helped him retain the words of Scripture in his mind. This was not mere "busywork"—in essence, God was prescribing daily Bible study for the king. As a king faithfully read God's word daily—reading words he had copied for himself— he would become deeply knowledgeable about God's laws and statutes, which—if abided by— could keep him and his subjects free of many of life's potential distractions.
These instructions were given so that the king's "heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel" (v. 20). The goal was to foster humility in the king, and to encourage him to follow God's way, which would lead to physical blessings for him and for his kingdom.
Sometimes, we may be tempted to become complacent. When we read Scripture, we may feel, "Oh, I've read this before." Similarly, over the course of his reign, a king might read the same passages of Scripture many times. But this was not to encourage complacency; rather, God established this pattern for the king's benefit, to give him a constant check against distraction—against deviating from the course God intended.
The pilots on Delta 5191 had followed the established procedures many times, but they became complacent. Had they faithfully followed procedures, their flight would have been a success instead of a tragic failure.
Satan offers us many distractions, hoping to keep us from reaching our goal. But our Father in heaven loves us as only a perfect Father can. He desires our fellowship, and looks forward to us becoming Spirit and being a part of His family for all eternity. To help us achieve that objective, He has given us procedures to follow— principles we can apply, with His help and His Spirit—to avoid distraction and press forward with singleness of purpose toward His Kingdom.