Imagine that you’re in a room full of people. Your dad is sitting across the room from you and he’s calling you to come to him. Do you go straight to him? Or do you get side-tracked by someone enticing you with a candy bar? Do you see something that needs to be put away first? Does someone ask you to do something else first? Perhaps someone even grabs you as you go by, trying to detain you.
Hopefully you have the respect for your dad that God commands so that you go directly to him regardless of any of the distractions. He has asked you to come to him; nothing else is more important than doing what your dad asks. It doesn’t matter that you don’t know why he has asked you to come; it should be enough that he has. If you come willingly, joyfully, you’re likely to get a big hug.
You understand the analogy! Our Father has asked us to come to Him, to be in a closer relationship with Him through Jesus Christ our Lord. That’s why we’ve been eating unleavened bread. We’ve had a very physical object lesson every day this week of reminding ourselves to make Godly choices - avoid the leavening; choose the unleavened.
So we start out on this path called life, towards our Father. But you know we can’t walk straight to Him. There are too many distractions along the way. Some distractions appeal to our desires - like chocolate. Some distractions appeal to our pride. Some distractions come from Satan, who know exactly which buttons to push to draw our attention away from the path we’re supposed to be on. No matter how hard something tries to draw you away, you must keep your mind focused on God. A closer relationship with Him is the goal.
Some people try to do both: seek God and enjoy all the distractions. They figure that it doesn’t matter when they work on their relationship with God; He’ll always be there and there are so many fun things to do right here and now. The writer of Hebrews (4:6-11) tells us to listen to God’s voice today. If you hear His voice today, pay attention to it. God comes first. Isn’t that what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount? He said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). The reality is that none of us know how much time we have. We have to follow God first. We might not have time to get back on the path to doing His will and seeking a relationship with Him.
And really, when you think about it, there is nothing in any of those distractions which can even come close to what God is offering us: a relationship with Him, a place in His kingdom, eternal life.
I hope you’ve been thinking about these things this week. I hope you’ve chosen to obey God and you’ve eaten unleavened bread every day. I hope you always put God first. I hope you stay on the path!