Distracted Hearts

So last week as part of the Proximity Series at sevenoseven we talked about five conditions of the heart that prevent us from coming closer to God: The Diseased Heart, the Distracted Heart, the Damaged Heart, the Deceived Heart, and the Disbelieving Heart.

The idea of the distracted heart was one that really struck a chord with Melissa and I.  Chad shared Isaiah 58:2 which reads:

Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God.

This was a description of a community that was succeeding in living a life aimed at Christ, and free of distraction.

Let's look at this another way: There are 613 commandments in the Jewish Law. The most popular, obviously, being a certain ten.  But in Matthew 22 a group of Sadducees and Pharisees got together and tested Jesus on which one was, in his opinion, the greatest. He, with Deuteronomy 6:5 in mind, says in verse 37:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."

It would seem that loving God without distraction, and with all of our being, is of the utmost importance to God. Jesus ranked it number 1 out of 613.

I wrote out the following prayer, highlighting the three main ways Jesus asks us to love God.  I encourage you to look it over, and perhaps pray on this idea. It's what we'll be doing as a Leadership/Tech Team at sevenoseven tonight.
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Dear Heavenly Father,

We know how important it is that we love you with all of our being, yet it is easy to be distracted by the quick pace of life, its highs and lows, its distractions and burdens. Help us to live in a way that pleases You.

It is our prayer that we might love you with all of our hearts. Let us understand that all love comes from you, all joy from you, and that when we get caught up in the goodness of this community, and this life, let us remember with our whole hearts that all of this stems from you.

It is our prayer that we might love you with all of our souls.  Let us in times of quiet or pain look towards your support.  Let us on hard days and busy days look to you for guidance.  You created this world, help us remember that there's nothing in it bigger than you.

It is our prayer that we might love you with all of our minds. Help us to discern right teaching from wrong, and to overcome our insecurities and doubts.  From you comes all knowledge, we pray that you help us to learn what it is that you wish to teach us.

We ask for all these things in the name of your precious Son...