CONSECRATION DEMANDS CONCENTRATION

Consecration is not only a moment at an altar. It is the daily choice to give God our complete attention. In a noisy, entertainment-driven, technology-hungry, possession-loving, demand-filled world, consecration demands focus.

And speaking of noisy, the old military radios of the First and Second World Wars provide a useful picture. Radio operators often had to carefully tune the frequency to isolate an important message from static, interference, and other radio traffic. There were two knobs. One was for the frequency, and the other was to make it fine-tuned. The knobs didn't mute all radio traffic or atmospheric static. Instead, they assisted the operator in choosing and defining one signal from many competing ones. The message was probably always there, but it took the operator's concentration and the receiver's tuning to receive the signal clearly.

Our spiritual lives can be much the same. God may be speaking through His Word, through prayer, through conviction, or through wise counsel, but the signal is often surrounded by the noise of day-to-day life. We need to tune up our hearts by removing distractions, quieting competing voices, and tuning into God.

James 4:8 tells us, “Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you.” Drawing near to God does not happen by accident. It works on purpose. We must shut our ears to distractions and turn our hearts to prayer, worship, and the Word of God.

The words “pay attention” are important. To pay means that there is a price. Attention requires time and energy and focus. We can’t devote God our full attention if we keep giving our minds to everything else. We must remove something, limit something or ignore something to be able to hear His voice clearly. Ecclesiastes 7:29 says, “God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.” Human inventions are not necessarily sinful in and of themselves but can become distractions. Modern society is full of endless entertainment, devices, activities and possessions all vying for our attention.

We have more conveniences than previous generations but less time for God. This may explain Jesus’ warning that it is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. There is more to wealth than pride. It also can lead to endless distractions. The more you can buy, experience, manage, and own, the more things may compete for the heart. The “rich” are not just the top one percent. Most of us live with incredible abundance compared to the majority of the world and most of human history. We have a lot of TVs, smartphones, cars, subscriptions, hobbies and entertainment options. None of these things is evil in itself, but any of them can take the place that belongs to God. Jesus wasn’t teaching that possessions automatically doom a man. He was warning that things can possess us. A distracted heart may slowly become a removed heart.

Consecration, therefore, means looking honestly at our lives. What most often breaks into our prayer? What stops us from reading Scripture? What fills our mind, money and time? What would happen if we shut off the noise and intentionally drew near to God? God promised to draw near to those who draw near to Him. But we have to be willing to pay the price of attention. Like an old radio operator carefully tuning through the static, we must eliminate distractions and quiet our minds to focus on His voice. Consecration requires concentration. God is still speaking, but we have to be still enough to hear Him. Any suggestions?