“Spiritual ADD: Prescription—Holy Spirit”

SCRIPTURE FOCUS:  John 12:  20-33

 

John 12:20-33 (New International Version)

 

20  Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22  Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

 

23  Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24  I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25  The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26  Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

 

 27  “Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28  Father, glorify your name!”

 

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29  The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

 

30  Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31  Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32  But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” 33  He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

 

 

 

Is your spiritual life and relationship with Jesus suffering from the effects of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder)?  As you can see by the chart, I am in desperate need of help.  Perhaps, you can relate.

 

SYMPTOM	SELF-OBSERVATION
Failure to pay close attention to detail	A person will ask me about scripture or I will want to reference scripture to share and I reply with something like this, “I know that the Bible says something about this, but I am not sure.  It is something like this…” Details, details….
Not listening when spoken to	I seem to question when God is speaking to me.  “God, are you really talking to me?”,  “I am not sure that I hear you”,  “How do I know that is you, not me, talking?”
Not following through with directions	There are many teachings/directions in the Bible that I know I need to follow in a dedicated manner.  For example, I struggle with a couple of commandments.  The commandment about not coveting—not wanting what others have—that is a hard one!  I want to go on a great vacation, carry a Louis Vuitton purse.  And the one about false witness, I am sure it means not to gossip and say negative things about others….oops.
Difficulty organizing and prioritizing tasks	Yes, Tracy, you need to read your BIBLE daily and pray daily—first thing!
Easily distracted by extraneous activities	I am sure I have said this at least once.  “Church tonight?  But I wanted to _______________.”

 

So how does John 12: 20-33 relate to my Spiritual ADD?  Well, after reading it many, many times, I began to realize that Jesus was beginning to question whether to follow his Father’s directions (vs. 27).  However, he listened to the voice from heaven (vs. 29).  He gave his life upon that cross to sow the seeds of our salvation.  Jesus stayed focused.  He did not become distracted. What a role model!  More importantly, WHAT LOVE!  This passage gives me comfort in the realization that God knows our life will be difficult and that there will be suffering, but if we stay focused on His words/directions during our time here on Earth, then we will have our reward in heaven (vs. 25).  The cure for my Spiritual ADD is simple:  Focus on God’s word and welcome the Holy Spirit into my life daily.  I invite you to put your worldly distractions aside and begin to focus daily on God’s word. What love!

 

 

Tracy Matthews

 

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