Being Properly Focused

Proper spiritual focus is vital to our overall success. Jesus uncompromisingly said in
Mt. 6:32,33 that if we make the Kingdom of God our primary concern then all the
basics of life will just follow.

From the parable of the seed planter it's very interesting to discover what it is that
makes a person unfruitful in the Kingdom of God. Mk. 4:18,19 - The thorny
represents those who hear and accept the Good News, but all too quickly the
message is crowed out by the cares of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire
for nice things, so no crop is produced.

The Holy Spirit through James warns of the dangers of double mindedness. It
manifests instability. It seems that we do much better focusing on one single goal
and object. This is also evident through the reveal truth that it is impossible to serve
both God and money. (Lk. 16:13)  Clearly we always do our best when one object
has our full attention and devotion.

Presently we are living in a very spiritually confused period of time. MAKE NO
MISTAKE THIS CONFUSION IS NOT GOING TO GET BETTER! It's very clear from
the Scriptures that as this world draws closer to the return of Jesus Christ the spirit
of Babylon, or Confusion will very much dominate the political, economic and
religious arenas. Where does that leave you? Until Christ comes and straightens
this all out, we MUST continually choose to live for God!

When Jesus does return everyone will face the judgment seat of Christ. (2 Cor. 5:10)
Judgment begins not with the ungodly but with the household of God.(1 P. 4:17)
There's no doubt that this is a very solemn  issue. It is however an issue that we are
wise to personally address. Why? Because one day in the not too distant future I will
have to give an account to the One sitting on the throne. The one John saw in the
book of Revelation whose eyes are like flaming fire. Eyes that see everything, eyes
that discern the very motivation behind every action I've ever done. I'm of the persuasion that it pays to keep short accounts with God.

Jesus alerted us to the necessity of living in a state of "READINESS". We must
be ready! ( Lk. 12:40) "Readiness" has little do with dates or would be prophetic
revelations, but it does however have everything to do with daily devotion and life style. If we look after TODAY then we have little concerns about tomorrow.  This
is why it's so important to establish and maintain "priority focus".

It's amazing how subtle apathy can be. If you want to boil a live frog just slowly turn
up the heat. Because true Believers originated as subjects of this world and even
though salvation can be a very dramatic experience with God we can still fall prey to
thinking that this earth is our home.

We can learn a lot from some of the major players in the Kingdom of God. People
like Abraham, Moses, Paul, Peter and  Jesus, all teach us the importance of
"Priority Focus".

Abraham the Pilgrim
Although Abraham had received specific promises concerning a piece of real-estate in the Middle East we find that his focus was far from earth bound. He spent his time here on earth as a spiritual pilgrim. He constantly had his vision fixed on higher things. "Abraham did this because he was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God." (Heb. 11:10) Abraham lived with his feet on earth and his heart in heaven. He was anticipating eternal life in the city of God so wonderfully revealed to us in revelation chapters 21 and 22. He believed in it and lived for it! He did not consider this present earth to be his permanent place of abode. He looked beyond the temporal to the eternal.  This what the Holy Spirit encourages us to do through the writer of the book of Hebrews. "For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our city in heaven, which is yet to come.

Moses: Man of Vision

Right from the word "GO" Moses was a child of destiny. You talk about an emotional roller coaster! Wow! This guy had not only some great high times but some great depths of despair. I'm not sure we can really appreciate all that he endured as God's servant. Then to top it all off at no choice of his own, he spends forty years out in the desert wilderness with a bunch of unbelievers only to be  told that he was not going to be permitted to personally enter Canaan. What kept this man of God? How was he able to endure such personal hardship and potential life threatening discouragement? How did He keep from becoming just another "run of the mill" so called followers of God? Two things of significance!

One: "He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of the Messiah than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the great reward that God would give him." (Heb. 11:26) Moses lived with forward vision. He lived today with tomorrow in mind. He firmly believed that some day down the road he was going to be rewarded for his devotion to Christ. Think of it, the treasures of Egypt were right in the palm of his hand and he looked away from the temporal and fixed his sights and goals on the eternal!

Second: It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt. He was not afraid of the king. Moses kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who was invisible. (Heb. 11:27)  Moses was no different than you and I! He had lots of opportunities for distraction during his life time. He had vision and focus. If he'd been a New Covenant Believer we'd say, "he kept his eyes on Jesus. He made Jesus the focus of his attention."  How did this man of God fare? Well, it appears, he did just fine. It was him and Elijah who were talking with Jesus on the mountain when the Lord was transfigured right before Peter, James and John. (Mk. 9:2-4)  Maintaining "Priority Focus" will do the same kind of thing for us. It will see to it that when Jesus returns that we will be found in His presence unashamed. (1 Jn. 2:28)

Paul: The Apostle with Revelation

God gave the Apostle Paul divine revelation concerning the New Covenant "Body of Christ". He received insight never before revealed. (Eph. 1:9,10; 3:1-8)  The vast majority of our understanding of  the present Kingdom of God, (Rom. 14:17)  the Church ,(Eph. 1:22,23)  the spirit house or temple of God, (Eph.2:20-22) as well as numerous other related topics comes as a direct result of Paul's special God given insights.

It's very interesting to notice that even with all his practical, hands on earthly involvements with evangelism, church planting and discipleship training the Apostle Paul never lost his "Priority Focus". You'll be hard pressed to find any of his inspired writing void in any way Jesus' return and heaven. This man like Abraham and Moses definitely had his feet on the earth yet like them his heart, his vision, his focus was always on the eternal. In Col. 3:1 he writes, "set your sights on the realities of heaven." And again in Col.3:2 he encourages us to, "Let heaven fill your thoughts."

To the Philippians he said, "But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Saviour. ." (Ph. 3:20)  This verse exposes something else about the realities of this great Apostles heart! It would appear that he was almost obsessed with the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Clearly he lived in continual "Readiness" and encouraged believers everywhere to do the same. What we're really seeing here is a revelation of his personal "Priority Focus". There's no doubt about it his mans heart was with Christ in heaven pretty much all the time. It should be speaking very loudly to our hearts right now! Where is our focus? What are the things that occupying our thought life. What are our personal goals and objectives in life? Where does heaven fit into my plans and what if Jesus was to return today?! These are vital issues to have settled in agreement with the heart of God. If we don't get this right we're going get ripped off in the long run. Be sure of it!