2 Peter 3:18 – But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

It is easy to become distracted and lose focus. We can lose sight of what is important. I think about the grade school students at Trinity during the month of May. They are starting to think about summer vacation. It is hard for them to stay focused on their homework and they get distracted more easily during classes. We all can relate. Perhaps we have trouble focusing at work because we are thinking about that upcoming vacation. Maybe we are distracted on a warm summer day because we would rather be out on the lake or perhaps at a baseball game.

It is also easy to lose focus when it comes to the gospel ministry. We can lose sight of what is eternally important. The gospel truly ought to be a part of everything that we do at a church. And yet, as we look at budgets and financial reports, it can be easy to fall into a business mindset. We might simply think about paying the bills rather than seeing that through these expenses we are actually working to share the love of Jesus.

There is also the trap of falling into a routine. We come to church on Sunday simply because it is what we have always done. We sit through the service but our mind is elsewhere. We help with a few projects around the church but we are not really thinking about the joy that we have because of our forgiveness and eternal life. Going to church and serving become something we do rather than what we love.

The cure for this lack of focus is right in front of us. The cure for being a distracted worshipper is meditating on the truths of God’s Word. We recognize our error. We listen more closely to the message. We dig into the Scriptures. God renews our joy through his powerful gospel. Then we are equipped to live for our God.

We need to continue to grow in God’s grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus. If we are not growing in our faith we are in danger of losing our faith. We are constantly being attacked by religious ideas that teach contrary to God’s gracious plans. There are many religions that do not teach us about Jesus. We need to be renewed with the gospel of Jesus day after day. Only with Jesus can we have full and free forgiveness. May you continue to grow in your faith.