What distracts us from Christ?

As I read about the Christians of old, (David Brainerd, Johnathan Edwards, Martin Luther, The apostle Paul) I am intrigued by their capacity to be completely consumed with Jesus. Christianity was not a religion to them that could be picked up and put down at a moments notice. Christ was their life. There were consumed by who He is. This to me is very convicting because I have never been one that is constantly thinking about God. In fact I would dare say that there are many today who live with their mind constantly fixed on Christ and the evidence around us is overwhelming. We pick up the banner of Christianity when we want our circumstances to be better or when perhaps we are in the company of certain individuals but never a constant dwelling on the person of Christ. And that is to our shame. We have come to see Christianity as something that we try to accomplish and not as an intimate fellowship with Christ. And therein is our undoing. We seek to use Christ to make things better or perhaps to give us material wealth, or perfect circumstances, be it jobs, health, our families. As John Piper says "God will not be used as currency for the purchase of idols." There is nothing wrong with those things in and of themselves, but there is something devastatingly wrong with desiring those things more than we desire God. God is of supreme value. There is nothing better than Him (and this includes His gifts!) We were made to see Him as supremely valueable and find joy in Him. The good news is that He is infinite and that means that infinite joy can be found in Him. There is nothing that is better than God. We often time trade this joy in God for the things of the world because we think there is greater joy to be had from them than Him. For instance if I have had a long tiring day, I will come home and turn on the TV in an attempt to find some sort of contentment without having to think too much. In all actuality I am seeking distraction from my own mind. Is TV better than Christ. Did TV die in my place that I might find my ultimate joy in God. NEVER! That even sounds foolish to say. But that is how we treat it. It is as if we are telling God, "This television brings greater comfort than you. It is more delightful" Oh how little we know of the God that is. But it is not just television that we use as means of comfort and peace. We use all manner of things, be it money, houses or a life free of suffering of any kind. This is where Satan gets us. The Bible says that Satan has come to "steal, kill and destroy." I am convinced that the way Satan steals is to give. He gives us all these material possessions and comforting circumstances that blind us to the goodness and greatness of God. We never give God a second thought because we have found our comfort in all other things. The problem here is twofold. One, all this world offers is temporal and it will fade almost as quickly as it comes. Second, we blind ourselves to eternal joy found in Christ alone. This world's offers garbage compared to the eternal glories of Christ and yet we are content feasting in the land field of earthly comfort. Christ offers us so much more. He offers us Himself. There is nothing greater than God and He tells us to find our delight in Him.(Psalm 37:4) God is offering us more we ask or imagine. We can never begin to understand all the goodness that is in Him. Therefore God is ultimately gracious to allow suffering in our life because we find joy not in our circumstances or possessions but in Him alone. Let us therefore fix our eyes on Christ not just glance at Him once or twice a week.
DAW