Whilst I was going to write a GemLight based on an event that occurred some weeks ago, the Lord changed my mind after hearing this little tidbit on this morning's news: One out of six drivers are distracted while driving through school zones.

Yes, cell phones were one of the distractions, but eating and a few other things were mentioned. The worst one in my opinion? Reading a book! Can you imagine?

It is sad when people do not respond to the fact that a vehicle in motion is one that can injure or kill. It's even more sad there appears to be disregard for the safety our our precious children. Our children are grown, but one out of six drivers being distracted in a posted school zone still raises some ire in me.

Nonetheless, to me this disregard reflects even a worse situation in our society in that most people are spiritually distracted from Christ, the only Way to God and the only Life worth living. This temperament is passed on to our children. Even if one does not have children or their children are grown we all still affect society.

We read in Nehemiah that there was a need to repair and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. As construction was going on, word got back to Nehemiah and those building the wall that there was a threat of attack. So, Nehemiah records (chapter 4, verse 13), "Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows."

Just as Nehemiah and the others were on guard while rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, we too must be alert and not distracted to protect ourselves and society from a most real problem: sin.

For some people, the first step is to awake from sin, forsake it, and trust completely in Christ. After that, one must be on guard to fend off the non-Biblical thinking that permeates society and at the same time let their mind be shaped by Christ.

Imagine if Nehemiah and his builders permitted themselves to be distracted from serving God? The wall would not have been built and the enemy would eventually come and ravage the city. Eternal matters are not something we should let distractions interfere with. We need to be truly committed to Christ, directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit, and knowledgeable of His Holy Word.