Simple and Pure Devotion to Christ in a Distracting World - Senthil Thangaraj

 

Simple and Pure Devotion to Christ in a Distracting World

- Senthil Thangaraj

Story of the Man with a Heart Problem

A man felt a heavy pain in his chest one day and rushed to the hospital. After running a series of tests, the doctor sat down and said, “You have a serious heart problem, but don’t worry, we caught it early, and it’s curable if you follow every instruction I’ll tell you, like eating healthy food, taking your medicine regularly, getting a lot of rest, doing exercise, you’ll be okay, you will live a long and happy life.” The doctor emphasized, “Just trust me and follow my instruction.” The man nodded, feeling that he had been given a second chance.

Distraction by a Mosquito Bite

As the man was leaving the hospital, he noticed a small bump on his arm, a mosquito bite he had gotten while waiting outside possibly. Instantly, he became obsessed with it, panicking, “What if it is something serious? What if it is infected? What if it leaves a scar?” He spent hours googling mosquito bite dangers, talked to everyone about it, showing them his arm, and hardly slept, constantly checking if the bite changed color. He even forgot to take the heart medicine on many days, too distracted by this tiny, harmless bump. Weeks passed, and the mosquito bite healed on its own and faded away, but the man’s heart became weaker because he had not taken the medicine, not slept properly, not followed the diet, and not exercised.

Lesson from the Story

The story illustrates how people can become consumed by trivial matters like jobs, visas, taxes, stocks, or world events while neglecting what truly matters—salvation. In my life, I find this to be a picture of worrying about all the things in this earth, which could be anything—job, visa, taxes, stocks, whatnot, anything you can put in the bucket, all the things happening in the world. This distraction causes me to miss the important thing I should be concerned about, which is my salvation. Neglecting salvation is not due to an inability to be healed but a failure to focus on what truly matters.

Biblical Reference: Hebrews 2:1, 3 (NLT)

Hebrews 2:1 urges careful listening to the truth to avoid drifting away from it. Hebrews 2:3 questions, “What makes us think that we escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?” Prioritizing salvation over distractions is essential.

The Devil’s Tactic

The devil employs tactics to zoom in on worthless matters, causing hearts to be taken up by these things and lose simple and pure devotion to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3 expresses fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his trickery, believers’ minds will be led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

Illustration of the Lotus Leaf

Observe a Picture of a lotus plant growing in a pond. When water is poured over the lotus leaves or attempts are made to push the leaves into the water, the water simply rolls off, leaving the leaves untouched. This is amazing. In my life, I want to be like these lotus leaves in the world, not defiled by the world or its lusts. The lotus plant needs to be in the pond to survive, drawing sap and minerals from the roots, but even though it’s in the water, the water doesn’t cling to its leaves. Similarly, believers should live in this world, surrounded by daily work, conversations with friends, and perhaps watching news, but not be taken up by worries about these things. Pray that my heart would not get wet by this world but maintain simple and pure devotion to Christ.

Story of the Woman and the Dying Man

Reflect on a story shared by brother Santosh Poonen at RLCF. Imagine a young woman preparing for marriage who hears about a very handsome and attractive man. She considers him for marriage and is given an address to meet him. Upon arriving, she realizes it’s a hospital, where the man lies on his deathbed, connected to a ventilator, passing away. This is a picture of the world, which appears attractive but is dying. The world and its lusts are passing away, unworthy of believers’ devotion. Why give my heart to a world on its deathbed?

Biblical Reference: 1 John 2:17

1 John 2:17 declares that the world is passing away, and also its lusts, but the one who does the will of God continues to live forever. Avoid clinging to a dying world and its fleeting desires.

Closing Prayer and Exhortation

May the Lord help us not to cling on to this world but maintain our simple and pure devotion to Christ and help us to listen obey carefully with all we hear from the Lord and through this church and follow him.

Bible References

• Hebrews 2:1, 3 (NLT)
• 2 Corinthians 11:3
• 1 John 2:17

Description:

Speaker: Senthil Thangaraj Title: Simple and Pure Devotion to Christ in a Distracting World Date: 04/27/2025 Our Goal as Christians is this: To be an exact reflection of Jesus, the Son of God (Romans 8:29) We do this individually by growing in purity in our personal lives (1 John 3:2-3) We do this corporately by becoming fully functioning members of a local Church (Ephesians 4:11-16)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVQkrDXwXZ8