Third, we can stay focused by regularly learning from God's Word.
We should expect that life will sometimes be difficult when we live for Christ. All of the apostles faced great suffering on behalf of their faith. Yet Scripture is clear, "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Timothy 3:12). Many people stop following Jesus when times are tough this comes from wrong thinking that we are not supposed to suffer as Christians. Second, realize we will endure suffering. In a culture of "Sunday only" Christianity or where faith is seen as only one of many areas of our life, the challenge is to live surrendered to Christ each day. Christians are not given a day off or a vacation from following God. First, Luke 9:23 teaches, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Each day we are to deny our personal desires and follow God's way. To stay focused, we can learn much from the example of Scripture. It is the love of money, not money itself, that is sinful and distracts our focus from Christ. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs" (1 Timothy 6:10). Money is necessary for many of life's activities, but Paul clearly states, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. The same is true with the pursuit of wealth. For example, it is important to work to take care of family needs, but being consumed with work can take the place of serving God. Many of these activities are even good, but when given the wrong level of priority can take away from focusing on Christ. The cares of this world can include a wide variety of competing activities.
The "cares of this world" and desire for wealth can cause people to no longer be focused on Christ. In explaining the parable, He shares, "As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful" (v. In Matthew 13, Jesus gives the parable of the sower that includes insight in this area. What teachings does the Bible offer to help us stay focused? Even those who have followed Christ for a long time can find it difficult to stay focused on Christ.
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