Titus 2:6

Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.

Remember that last round you played before you had to pick up the kids at 2 pm, stop by Lowe’s to pick up paint for the bedroom, or be back for a family dinner trip by 3 pm? How about that time your buddy asked you for professional advice or wanted to tell you about his marriage problems during a Saturday round? Odds are your scores on these days weren’t anything to remember. Golf is a game one must be focused without any distractions. A Christ centered life requires the same dedication. The Bible references the importance of being sober minded numerous times. When we hear “sober”, we instantly think of not being under the influence of alcohol. Certainly sober minded can mean thinking without any effect of alcohol, but it also includes any outward influence distracting us from the primary idea, desire, motive, or intention. Our words and deeds are to be spiritually motivated. When we are at church for a worship service, we should be doing just that, worshiping God. We all, however, catch ourselves thinking about lunch or our afternoon plans. My prayer is avoid the distractions of life which cloud my spiritual thinking. Sometimes we have to put down our cell phones or maybe not check our social media accounts for a day or even an hour.