But for us, There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live. 1 Corinthians 8:6
    
It’s so easy for me to get distracted, and I don’t just mean because we all have shorter attention spans these days. I get distracted by how other people live their lives, and how theirs always seems better, more glamorous, or easier than mine (which reminds me, I haven't checked Zillow in a while).   
   

I think that’s why I find this passage so helpful. It cuts through all of the distractions and presents us with a simple but grounding truth of the Bible, one that brings us back to the beautiful basics of whose we are and why we’re here. It’s life changing truth we need to know as much as Paul’s original audience, the church in Corinth, because without it, we’ll be swayed and pulled, tossed to and fro, either by our culture’s ever changing pressures or life’s ever present struggles. To succumb to distraction, and forget whose we are and whom we serve, leaves us vulnerable to missing out on our God given, Spirit filled purpose. We’re also in danger of diluting the peace we can experience through knowing God is near and working in our lives.   

Truth that Transcends Culture:

To a group of people living in a polytheistic culture, Paul affirms a central truth of the Bible. There is one God, and one Lord Jesus. Through a series of prepositional phrases (back to elementary school grammar, here), Paul asserts the relationship between God, Jesus, and all that is created. The Father, “by whom all things were created, and for whom we live” is the Creator, the ultimate subject of adoration. Only he is worthy of our worship and our praise. Jesus, “through whom all things were created, and through whom we live” is the agent of creation, the source of eternal life, and our daily sustenance. Only he can satisfy the true longings of our hearts, like meaning, significance, value, and abundant life. All of us are created with a longing for eternal impact, but that is only achieved through Jesus.

There’s no reason to look beyond the Almighty, and no sense in being our own gods. Through Christ, we can live for God, free from the endless pursuit of being good enough, or worthy of love, acceptance, and eternal value. We get all of that through Jesus. 

Truth that endures the storm: 

This isn’t the only time Paul uses language like this. Perhaps you recall Acts 27, when Paul is being held prisoner on a ship sailing from Crete. On this voyage, they encounter strong winds and potentially deadly storms. They can’t even see the stars, which were their primary means of navigation. There was little chance of survival. It would have been an utterly hopeless situation, were it not for a message from God to Paul, promising that the sailors would not drown.  

 Paul tells the other sailors about the message and the messenger, describing him as an “angel of the God whom I serve and to whom I belong” (Acts 27:23). Here, Paul was speaking to a group of men from all different religious backgrounds, and singling out his God – the one true God.  His God created the oceans. His God was in control of the oceans. His God made a promise and would deliver. No other god can do that.

 The other sailors on that ship served worthless gods. Paul belonged to the true God; he was under God’s watchful eye and active care. And God would deliver Paul through the storm. God placed a call on Paul’s life and neither foolish decisions of man nor earth’s worst weather would prevent him from delivering.  

 Through life’s storms, we can know to whom we belong and trust in his sovereign care. God does not get distracted by difficulty, he uses it to achieve his plans for us.

 Truth that changes how we live:

Through all the distractions, all that competes for our worship, loyalty, and attention, we can know we belong to God through Christ. When the waves threaten to overtake us, we can know we belong to God through Christ. Our value, our purposes, our very souls are under his watchful care.    

 As I dwell on this truth, I sense my natural tendency to strive for more, and my fear of missing out on God’s plans for my life diminish. I sense my heart desiring more of Jesus, and less of what other people have.

 Certainly this is a truth I’ll come back to again and again, every time I get distracted…which is like, every 30 seconds.