There is a lot of noise in our lives. I’m talking about a lot of the things that we all hear each day. We have the news at our finger tips with smart phones. We are inundated with information that ranges from Taylor Swift dating Travis Kelce to the war in Ukraine. We have friends posting all sorts of information—much of it that we really don’t have to know but we get to learn anyway. If you are a student there are plenty of things to study and learn. If you are in the workforce there are likely new policies and changes that have to be understood from time to time. Daily emails, texts, phone calls, etc. Information overload can happen quick these days. Even on Sundays and Wednesdays you are given more information about the Bible and about the life God has called you to. More things to remember. So let me give you something simple to focus on today. When Paul began his letter to the good people of Colossae he said this: We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we think of you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven” (Colossians 1:3-5a). Maybe Paul meant to or maybe it was the Holy Spirit working because He knew the Colossians and the future readers might need this moment of clarity. But there are three things to help us reign in our focus all in those couple of verses: Faith, Love, and Hope. The people of Colossae were examples of faith—so much so that it had reached the ears of Paul and he had opportunity to boast and be excited for what they were doing. So in all the noise and frustration and sometimes even pain in life do we show our example of faith? It isn’t dependent on age or even circumstance. Paul urged Timothy to be an example of it as a young man (1 Timothy 4:12) and we see people standing strong in the faith even when life was hard (i.e. Joseph, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego). So regardless of what noise you hear, listen for Jesus and look for opportunity to let your faith shine. The love they had for each other also part of the good news that Paul was hearing. They loved each other and let it rule their relationships within the church. No doubt that if they truly loved each other that they were also loving the people around them. In fact in the verses following he would tell how the gospel came to them and how immediately they began bearing fruit and increasing. They had faith in Jesus and love for people. That combination always bears fruit. Those things were a part of their lives and growing stronger because of the hope that they had of a place where all the troubles and sorrows and struggles would go away. The promised land of heaven will be a place where all the noise will finally fade away and all we will burden ourselves with is worshipping and serving the Creator for an eternity. No sorrows. No cares. No burdens. No noise. For now, however, let us live by faith, serve one another in love, and fix our eyes on the hope in heaven. If we will simply focus on those things—and let them control how we live our lives, we will do just fine.