Purpose

Singular Focus

Focus.

It is a word that is talked about a lot. People know that they need to focus on their work, on their family, on their friends, and on their responsibilities. Even though the word denotes a singular ambition, when people talk about what they are “focusing” on it usually involves a multiple of priorities and ambitions.

Jesus made it clear, however, that the focus for the Christian should be singular in nature. Although many people have tried to “balance” their commitment to Christ with their commitment to something else, Christ deserves and demands supremacy. In Luke 16, He said, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (V. 13, ESV). Jesus was revealing what countless generations of lives have proven – a person truly committed to serving Christ will not be pursuing any other interest. Everything in that person’s life will pale in comparison to their devotion to Him.

This can seem to be a hard truth. After all, the Christian has relationships and concerns just like the non-Christian, and Jesus was not dismissing those. Instead, He was teaching His disciples that pursuit of anything in place of or in addition to Him would bound to be a disappointment. No one can fill the “God-shaped hole” that we each have except for God Himself. When we seek Him first, and He is the focus of our pursuits, our passions, and our petitions, than we can trust that our hearts will be satisfied and that He will provide all we need to live the life He has called us to live.

Continue Reading

Growth

Unprepared

Recently we were having one of those evenings where our normal bedtime routine was in shambles. Our kids were being disobedient, my website crashed, the adults in the household weren’t feeling well, and chaos was reigning supreme. After we finally got the kids to bed, I commiserated with my husband who was bearing the brunt of the tantrum tornado, and he responded in a way that I wasn’t expecting. He said to me “I just wasn’t prepared.”

And that made perfect sense. We have the same routine almost every night, and almost every night it goes relatively smoothly. There was no indication earlier in the day that the close of the day would be a challenge. We tend to think things will go well. Until they don’t.

But as any solider can tell you – you can’t just prepare when battle is imminent. Fighting wars, as well as fighting sin, requires constant vigilance and ongoing alertness. It’s the skirmishes that catch us off guard that often reveal the true status of our heart.

Consequently, the Christian should be constantly training. We should be deepening our knowledge of Scripture so that we have the sword of the Spirit with which to fight temptation. We should be strengthening our prayer life so that we are relying on God’s strength and wisdom, and not our own. We should be serving more, and loving better, so that our first thought is for the good of others and not ourselves.

This doesn’t mean that we still won’t have unexpected battles. There are going to continue to be days where things don’t go as planned and challenges catch us off guard. But it does mean that we will be better equipped to fight the battles with God’s grace and power. And then while the skirmishes may be unexpected, we increasingly won’t be unprepared.

Continue Reading