Life today is fast-paced and distracting. Our lives are bombarded with continual phone calls, text messages, emails, social media updates, etc.

Think about email for a moment. How often do you check your email each day? How often does it distract you?

Several studies link frequent email checking with higher anxiety levels; in fact, one study shows that people who frequently check their email each day have higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.

Emails and other forms of communication can distract you from what God calls you to do each day. Some research shows that every time you receive an email and read it, it takes 64 seconds to recover and regain focus on what you were doing before you read it.

Lowcountry life in Mt. Pleasant is not as laid back as it once was - technology has created numerous opportunities for daily distractions. 

Yet God calls you to live a focused life in response to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

The direction of your life is not shaped primarily by the next email or phone call. Rather, the future of your life has been created because of Jesus Christ's sacrificial death on the cross and his victorious resurrection from the dead. 

Paul writes, "We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6.4).

We have the promise of living in 'newness of life" because of our union to Jesus Christ by his Holy Spirit. Scripture reminds us of this and other Gospel promises that result from our salvation through Christ.

Instead of being distracted daily by the demands of your phone and computer, take a moment each day to read God's Word and be reminded of the Gospel promises that you possess because of Jesus Christ.