Robert Hall used to say that, when the devil saw that a minister was likely to be useful in the church, his way of disposing of his was to get on his back and ride him to death with engagements.
The Preacher and His Models, Lectures at Yale 1891, James Stalker
A definite point of concern for our own lives. What is riding us to the death today, in our own lives? What is it that we do--ever meaning to reach the time and place for study---but simply must complete beforehand? It may very well be a great social life; flitting here and there, cell phone buzzing at all hours. But do we apply this great social life to our faith? Is this social life bettering ourselves and others, or merely fun?
I say this only as an example---we should get to enjoy other people. The problem is when other things become first in our lives; that is, when we put things (and then ourselves) up as gods.
As my health provides better days, my days are less involved automatically with in depth Bible study and research. It might very well be involved in sorting out the closet, laundry or reading some random book. There is nothing actually wrong with those things--in fact, most would consider cleaning a good thing.
The problem is when we do these things as an excuse to NOT be researching deeper into God's Word. Maybe we "met" our quiet time quota of fifteen minutes morning and night. There we go! God got a whopping half an hour--not to mention the fact that my mind wandered the whole half an hour. He got it. I checked it out on the to-do-list.
Wait a minute. God, the creator of the world we stand on, the One who gave us the breath of life, gets a half-hearted half an hour?
You can see the issue here. Time, the tangible, countable span we live in is what we say is most valuable---if someone gives a lot of time into anything, it is viewed with more respect, with more importance.
Our lives are being ridden to death by engagements, deadlines, "things-to-do" and other titles of importance. The longer we are ridden, the more miserable we feel, because the further we are getting from God. We are slowly being suffocated with the rope of distraction...and we don't even know it.
It is really hard to make oneself focus on God all the time. Especially if out of practice. We want to do the checklist routine. Did it, done, onto the next. No relationship that is completed in such a manner is meaningful, or will last.
We must make a concentrated effort to meet with God. To go into the tent as Moses did to sit and talk with God. To listen with the rapture of those who sat at Christ's feet. To absorb every iota of what is said, to absorb all that God shows us. We can't do it cleaning the closet and not thinking about Him. And we can't do it when we read the Word and make lists of what we have to do tomorrow.
Only forcing our hand to pick up the Word, commanding our eyes to read it, and demanding our minds listen. Thinking on His life or topics about Him in spare moments of closet cleaning. Only then are we not being strangled with the rope of distraction.
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