So, we see that Jesus Christ is indeed a familiar name in much of the world. But here are a few questions for us all to ponder: Is the religion which we as Christians profess actually making our character uniquely Christlike in the public eye? Are people of other religions consistently seeing us walking in the footsteps of our Master in daily life—as model representations of meek, unselfish living, looking out for their interests above our own? Do our lives epitomize the Golden Rule? Are we forgiving, loving, and renowned for an amazing lack of greed? Are we daily taking up our cross and following the Man of Calvary?

If we can’t respond positively to all of the above, why isn’t our faith making more of an impact? “To give the impression that our faith, our religion, is not a dominating power in our lives, is greatly to dishonor God.”2

There’s a solution: “Pride and self-worship cannot flourish in the soul that keeps fresh in memory the scenes of Calvary.”3

“Jesus has said, ‘I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me’ (John 12:32). Christ must be revealed to the sinner as the Saviour dying for the sins of the world; and as we behold the Lamb of God upon the cross of Calvary, the mystery of redemption begins to unfold to our minds and the goodness of God leads us to repentance. In dying for sinners, Christ manifested a love that is incomprehensible; and as the sinner beholds this love, it softens the heart, impresses the mind, and inspires contrition in the soul.

“It is true that men sometimes become ashamed of their sinful ways, and give up some of their evil habits, before they are conscious that they are being drawn to Christ. But whenever they make an effort to reform, from a sincere desire to do right, it is the power of Christ that is drawing them. An influence of which they are unconscious works upon the soul, and the conscience is quickened, and the outward life is amended. And as Christ draws them to look upon His cross, to behold Him whom their sins have pierced, the commandment comes home to the conscience. The wickedness of their life, the deep-seated sin of the soul, is revealed to them. They begin to comprehend something of the righteousness of Christ, and exclaim, ‘What is sin, that it should require such a sacrifice for the redemption of its victim? Was all this love, all this suffering, all this humiliation, demanded, that we might not perish, but have everlasting life?’

“The sinner may resist this love, may refuse to be drawn to Christ; but if he does not resist he will be drawn to Jesus; a knowledge of the plan of salvation will lead him to the foot of the cross in repentance for his sins, which have caused the sufferings of God’s dear Son.”4

“The spotless Son of God hung upon the cross, His flesh lacerated with stripes; those hands so often reached out in blessing, nailed to the wooden bars; those feet so tireless on ministries of love, spiked to the tree; that royal head pierced by the crown of thorns; those quivering lips shaped to the cry of woe. And all that He endured—the blood drops that flowed from His head, His hands, His feet, the agony that racked His frame, and the unutterable anguish that filled His soul at the hiding of His Father’s face—speaks to each child of humanity, declaring, It is for thee that the Son of God consents to bear this burden of guilt; for thee He spoils the domain of death, and opens the gates of Paradise. He who stilled the angry waves and walked the foam-capped billows, who made devils tremble and disease flee, who opened blind eyes and called forth the dead to life—offers Himself upon the cross as a sacrifice, and this from love to thee.”5

The True Witness to God’s professed people in the last days of this earth’s history warns that our generation has a problem of lukewarmness. What does it mean to be lukewarm? It’s not cold and it’s not hot; it is diluted to be neither. So, nothing seems to be having much of a strong impact on us—even Calvary.

While the Laodicean syndrome of lukewarmness has been characteristic of God’s professed people since 1844, it seems that the problem is getting worse as we near the close of time. “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).

One of the most common ways that faith is being diluted is by distractions.Wikipedia.com provides a good definition of “distraction” as “the process of diverting the attention of an individual or group from a desired area of focus and thereby blocking or diminishing the reception of desired information.”

So, isn’t the biggest problem with our relationship to Calvary that we are not allowing it to have as great an impact on our minds as it should because we constantly seem to be getting distracted by something? Instead of staying consistently focused on anything, we are easily sidetracked. Our fervor is cooled off; we do everything halfheartedly because half of our mind is usually somewhere else. “The deep plotting of Satan will reveal its working everywhere for the purpose of distracting attention from present duty.”6

These days, many tend to live with a divided mind and we need to realize how much it’s affecting us.

“People are constantly checking their laptops, tablets, and phones because they worry about receiving new information after everyone else, responding too slowly to a text or an e-mail, or being late to comment on or like a social media post.

“Numerous studies support this diagnosis of the problem. In my lab we’ve found that many people, regardless of age, check their smartphones every 15 minutes or less and become anxious if they aren’t allowed to do so. . . .

“Digital overload may be the defining problem of today’s workplace. All day and night, on desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones, we’re bombarded with so many messages and alerts that even when we want to focus, it’s nearly impossible. And when we’re tempted to procrastinate, diversions are only a click away.

“This culture of constant connection takes a toll both professionally and personally. We waste time, attention, and energy on relatively unimportant information and interactions, staying busy but producing little of value. As the late Clifford Nass and his colleagues at Stanford University have shown, people who regularly juggle several streams of content do not pay attention, memorize, or manage their tasks as well as those who focus on one thing at a time. The result is reduced productivity and engagement, both in the office and at home. . . .

“Researchers have demonstrated that the mere presence of a phone makes people less productive and less trusting. . . .

“Why are we allowing ourselves to be so debilitated by technological distractions? Some people refer to the overuse of digital devices as an addiction. But since most of us don’t appear to gain much pleasure from the behavior—a defining feature of addiction—I wouldn’t classify it as such. More accurate are terms such as FOMO (fear of missing out), FOBO (fear of being offline), and nomophobia (fear of being out of mobile phone contact)—all forms of anxiety that border on obsession or compulsion.

“Although we turn to technology to soothe our anxieties, overdosing on it just exacerbates them. To break the cycle, we must limit the use of our devices. Only then can we regain our ability to focus.”7

Taking regular “recharge” breaks or even fasts from the frequent bombardment of hyperlinks, Facebook feeds and Twitter alerts, using special tools to filter emails, resisting the tendency to attempt multiple mind-requiring tasks in tandem can help. While many people have a lot of good spiritual information on their phone or tablet (such as the Bible, Spirit of Prophecy, and other great resources), we should nevertheless examine whether having the glut of the information age all on the same device might also tempt some of us to distraction:

“Dozens of studies by psychologists, neurobiologists, educators, and Web designers point to the same conclusion: when we go online, we enter an environment that promotes cursory reading, hurried and distracting thinking, and superficial learning. It’s possible to think deeply while surfing the Net, just as it’s possible to think shallowly while reading a book, but that’s not the type of thinking the technology encourages and rewards.”8

“The Net seizes our attention only to scatter it. We focus intensively on the medium itself, on the flickering screen, but we’re distracted by the medium’s rapid-fire delivery of competing messages and stimuli. Whenever and wherever we log on, the Net presents us with an incredibly seductive blur . . . presenting us with far more distractions than our ancestors ever had to contend with.”9

We become “ ‘distracted from distraction by distraction.’ . . . The Net’s cacophony of stimuli short-circuits both conscious and unconscious thought, preventing our minds from thinking either deeply or creatively.”10

“The average attention span for the notoriously ill-focused goldfish is nine seconds, but according to a new study from Microsoft Corp., people now generally lose concentration after eight seconds, highlighting the affects of an increasingly digitalized lifestyle on the brain.”11

Digital tools are useful and handy, of course, yet we must also be aware that “Satan invents unnumbered schemes to occupy our minds that they may not dwell upon the very work with which we ought to be best acquainted. The arch-deceiver hates the great truths that bring to view an atoning sacrifice and an all-powerful mediator. He knows that with him everything depends on his diverting minds from Jesus and His truth.

“Those who would share the benefits of the Saviour’s mediation should permit nothing to interfere with their duty to perfect holiness in the fear of God.” 12

“God calls upon His light-bearers to put away all selfishness, all that confuses them, and distracts them from their work.”13

Did Jesus know we would have these challenges and temptations at the end of time? Was He aware that people’s attention spans would shrink so drastically, they would become distracted so easily, and their entire ability to focus would diminish?

“Our Saviour foresaw the trials and dangers of His people. . . . He has pledged Himself to be our helper.”14

“Over the winds and the waves, and over men possessed of demons, Christ showed that He had absolute control. He who stilled the tempest and calmed the troubled sea spoke peace to minds distracted and overborne by Satan.”15

“If there is anything in our world that should inspire enthusiasm, it is the cross of Calvary.”16

“The cross of Christ will be the science and the song of the redeemed through all eternity. In Christ glorified they will behold Christ crucified. Never will it be forgotten that He whose power created and upheld the unnumbered worlds through the vast realms of space—the Beloved of God, the Majesty of heaven, He whom cherub and shining seraph delighted to adore—humbled Himself to uplift fallen man; that He bore the guilt and shame of sin, and the hiding of His Father’s face, till the woes of a lost world broke His heart, and crushed out His life on Calvary’s cross.”17

“It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones. As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit. If we would be saved at last, we must learn the lesson of penitence and humiliation at the foot of the cross.”18

“Well would it be for us if we could always remember Calvary, where Jesus bore the terrible burden of the sins of the world. In His expiring agony hear him exclaim, ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me!’ (Matthew 27:46) and remember that He endured the hiding of His Father’s face, that it might not be forever hidden from fallen man. He endured shame, cruel scourging, insult, and mockery, that we might be reconciled to God and rescued from endless death. If our minds dwell upon these themes, our conversation will be in heaven, from whence we look for the Saviour, and even vain thoughts will seem out of place.

“He who died for us loves us with a love that is infinite. He wants us to be happy; but He would not have us find our happiness in foolish jesting and joking, which disgrace the holy cause we profess to love.

By dwelling upon the themes of eternal interest, the mind is strengthened, and the character developed. . . .

“The religion of Christ is not what many think it is, nor what their lives represent it to be. The love of God in the soul will have a direct influence upon the life, and will call the intellect and the affections into active, healthful exercise. The child of God will not rest satisfied until he is clothed with the righteousness of Christ, and sustained by His life-giving power. When he sees a weakness in his character, it is not enough to confess it again and again; he must go to work with determination and energy to overcome his defects by building up opposite traits of character. He will not shun this work because it is difficult. Untiring energy is required of the Christian; but he is not obliged to work in his own strength; divine power awaits his demand. Every one who is sincerely striving for the victory over self, will appropriate the promise, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee.’ (2 Corinthians 12:9).

“Through personal effort, joined with the prayer of faith, the soul is trained. Day by day the character grows into the likeness of Christ, and finally, instead of being the sport of circumstances, instead of indulging selfishness, and being carried away by light and trifling conversation, the man is master of his thoughts and words. It may cost a severe conflict to overcome habits which have been long indulged, but we may triumph through the grace of Christ.”19

“It is impossible for us to believe that Jesus endured the untold agonies of the cross for us, without having our hearts melted in love for Him. And if we love Him, we shall be solicitous to please Him, to obey Him. The heart stirred by the love of Christ will earnestly inquire, ‘Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?’ ”20

Now, that will finally make an impact!