Wednesday, December 5, 2012

What is Your Life Focus?



  As I reflect back on my own journey I have had plenty of focuses over the past 50 years.  When I was a boy I focused on playing after school, fishing and baseball. When I became a teenager I focused on girls, partying and driving my own car.  In those early years the focus could change based on friends and influence, but the focus was always ME.  But the ME I kept the focus on was falling apart even at a young age. I began to let sin direct my paths every day. I listened to the sinful nature direct my paths to get what I wanted when I wanted it. By the time I had graduated from high school I was a mess! Granted I graduated, had a job and a car and even my own “place” by the age of 18, but I was miserable.


  When I was introduced to Jesus I decided that His ways offered hope to my life and circumstances, but yet it was still focused around "ME". Within a few short months I realized I needed to shift the focus from ME to the focus on God.  In Church language we would call that being consecrated to the will of God and then by faith being Sanctified entirely by His grace.  It was within 2 months of surrendering the "ME" of ME to the Will of Him that I discovered I could still have focuses in life that I enjoyed and still be “Him focused” without being “ME focused”. I could enjoy the things and subjects of life as He created me to enjoy them.
   
In my year book before I was even saved and very much lost in sin I had written that one of my ambitions in life was to travel. To this day I still enjoy traveling. Yet the travel desire before I was saved was turned into a God focused travel.  Since becoming set free from sin I have been blessed to travel to a number of countries and places for the purpose of His kingdom that has given me far greater joy on multiple levels then had I just travel for ME.

Today I am a pastor and my life focus and calling is to minister the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But in the midst of His calling and “His focus” for my life I can still focus on many things I have always enjoyed without being detracted from the “Main Focus”.  Baseball, exploring the world, fishing , motorcycles and so many other focuses can still be enjoyed, yet with a God focus first and foremost.  Regardless that I was called into ministry or not God wants all believers “main focus” to be His focus.  You can be a doctor or lawyer, salesman, factory worker or real estate broker with a “God Main Focus”. Regardless of what you do, God wants each heart to have a God Focus in life!   Just today  I was reading an email of a God focused real estate guy asking if anyone had a heart to use a couple of his properties for God’s glory. I know this man and even though he buys and sells real estate his “Main Focus” is a “God Focus”

 If every born again believer would keep the focus of their everyday life on what God wanted and when he wanted it we would have an every expanding Kingdom of God in our midst. I still love fishing, motorcycles, traveling, beaches and hiking in the woods.  I can enjoy those sports, places and activities with God and for God’s Glory if I keep the “Main FOCUS” on Him instead of ME.

When we have a “Me Focus” , life will eventually disintegrate and usually it will make others’ lives around us miserable in the midst of it as well.  Living for Christ is to be a surrendered holy life that is sin free and set free to follow the Lord while keeping the ‘Main Focus’ our “Life Focus.”