Reading Richard Baxter’s Christian Directory, I started with Christian Ethics. The sum of this book is about self or personal government or discipline. One of the challenges in self-government is how to overcome distractions in life that cause us to take the most important matters for granted, such as our relationship with God and our eternal destiny.
Checking Baxter's direction on how to deal with distractions in life, I observed that English is too old. I asked AI to simplify it and tell me what it's all about. I also prompted the bot to compose a devotional article. It was then that I was directed to Luke 10:40-42. I opened the Bible online and did my usual practice of exegeting the text by analyzing its grammatical structure.
AI's Simplified Version
Before I share the outcome of my analysis, I just want to give the simplified version of Baxter’s spiritual direction made by AI about distraction:
The usual way to distract you is to keep you busy with other things, filling your mind with different thoughts, and giving you other tasks, so you never have time to think seriously about God. When God’s Spirit tries to get your attention, you’re often too caught up with people or activities to listen or respond. Many times, God was ready to teach you, but you weren’t available to hear. He has often stirred your conscience and invited you to reflect on your spiritual life. But loud entertainment or the stress of daily life made you ignore Him, brush Him off, and reject His call. . . . Maybe you think you’ll only ignore God for a little while. When one task is done, another will come, and then another, and you’ll keep thinking it’s all necessary—until time runs out, and you realize too late how badly you were deceived. . . . So, if you truly care about your soul, don’t let your love for fun or work stop you from listening to God’s Spirit. He’s offering you deeper joy and a more meaningful purpose. Take time to set everything aside and listen to what God and your conscience are saying. What they want to talk to you about is more important than anything or anyone else. Their offers are better than anything your friends can give you. . . . Make up your mind: no matter what friends, fun, or work try to distract you, don’t let them keep you from focusing on what matters most. If friends want your attention, ask yourself: Are they better company than God’s Spirit and your conscience? If pleasure tempts you, ask: Is it better and longer-lasting than the joy you can have in heaven by following God’s grace? If work feels urgent, ask: Is it more important than preparing your soul for judgment and eternal life? If not, then don’t let those things come first. If you’re wise, do what must be done for eternity—and let other things wait.
Reading the above paragraph from AI, it sounds like with the advent of this technology, provided that you encode the right prompt, we don’t have any shortage now in terms of information or data, including about spiritual matters. The only difference is the absence of a personal and human touch.
How about you? What are your thoughts? Do they still sound artificial to you? How are we going to use this technology properly in a way that will benefit humanity?
Exegesis and Application
Let me now turn to the result of my exegesis and application of the text.
Reading the verses, the first thought that comes to mind is about setting priorities in life. I think this topic is also connected to dealing with life’s distractions. In the age of social media and living in the era of information overload, the world seems too noisy, filled with endless demands and options. If you don’t know how to set priorities in life, the natural outcome is that you will be distracted away from the most important matters in life. It appears that we are too busy these days and over-entertained, leaving us no quality time to spend with God.
The tasks that make us busy are not bad in themselves. However, if they regularly replace our personal reflection and spiritual focus, they can turn into idols that will sooner or later have destructive results in our lives.
Looking at our New Testament narrative, the story of Martha shows us a conversation with Jesus about setting priorities or dealing with distractions in life. There is nothing wrong with what Martha was doing. Her preparations for the Lord were acts of service, and they were good. However, while serving, she missed something better. The good thing with Martha is that she approached the Lord when she was overwhelmed by her tasks.
The problem with most of us is that when our lives are in constant motion, we allow distractions to steal our time with God. Instead of approaching him, we rely on our wisdom to deal with so many things in life. And then we wonder why we lost the joy in serving and in doing our job.
This reflection is very personal to me. Last 19 March, I shared about the list of tasks that I have been doing since the day I was transferred to the Business Office:
From security to maintenance, dormitory and student affairs, the BOT and government compliances, banks and book suppliers, field tours, and health care companies, the water system in the campus, all the utility bills (Internet, water, and electricity), the salary of part-time faculty in the college, senior high school, and elementary levels, and not to mention the many proposals and projects that came into my table unexpectedly. I almost forgot to mention the concerns from basic education, technical-vocational, the human resource department, the registrar, the office of the academic dean, and renters in our facilities. All of these are on top of my responsibility as an instructor and as a father.
With the above tasks, one could easily find an excuse to have no time with God. We find Martin Luther’s statement about prayer as an essential daily business strange:
I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.
I think Luther knows by experience what Jesus told Martha about life’s priorities. If we are to follow Martha's example to ask the Lord in times of distractions in life, what lessons can we learn from Him in dealing with our distractions?
The Lord recognizes the nature of our distraction, that we are worried and anxious about many things in life.
The Lord understands that our distractions often come from a place of deep concern and anxiety. He does not scold us for being responsible or caring, but He gently points out that our hearts are divided and overwhelmed. Our worries—about finances, relationships, work, and the future—can feel urgent and necessary, yet they often crowd out the peace that comes from resting in His presence. Jesus sees how burdened we are, and He lovingly calls us to refocus on the one thing that truly matters: being with Him. In doing so, He offers not just correction but comfort—a reminder that we don’t have to carry everything alone.
The Lord corrects us by identifying that few things are needed or only one thing is necessary.
The Lord gently redirects our focus by showing us that, in many demands, only a few things truly matter—and ultimately, only one is necessary. He helps us see that a life centered on Him brings clarity, peace, and purpose that no amount of busy activity can provide. By highlighting what is essential, Jesus frees us from the weight of constant striving and invites us into a simpler, deeper relationship with Him.
The Lord commends those who made a better choice in prioritizing spending time with Jesus over the numerous activities in life.
The Lord honors and affirms those who choose to prioritize time with Him above all other activities, no matter how important those tasks may seem. He sees the value in a heart that longs for His presence and is willing to pause in a busy world to listen and learn. In commending Mary, Jesus shows us that spending time with Him is not only the better choice—it is the one that will never be taken away.
In closing, can you identify things that usually distract you from spending time with God? In my case, I could name at least four:
Anxiety that is primarily related to the financial future of the family
Marital relationship
Work-related
Netflix, Hive, and ____.