We've talked about how your attitude determines your ability to humble and submit yourself to God's will over the last 2 weeks. This week, we will look at how having the right focus will enable you to alter your ego. Once you see God's perspective, it becomes easier to understand why I should humble myself and submit myself to God's design. Remember that God has granted us everything necessary to live Godly lives in granting us His divine nature (2 Peter 1:2-11). No matter what new, shiny, or sexy thing battles for your attention, your focus must remain on Christ. As Rich Mullins says, "Stuff of earth competes for the allegiance, I owe only to the Giver of all good things." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jj0ZTzgmGM
Week 8 – Set
Your Focus
In the
readings this week, did you feel convicted about any of the topics from last
week’s lesson?
What
struck you as most interesting or eye-opening from the daily readings?
Matthew 6:25-34 (NASB)
25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life,
as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as
to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than
clothing?
26 Look at the birds of the air, that they do
not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father
feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And who of you
by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 And
why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow;
they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even
Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But
if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and
tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe
you? You of little faith! 31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will
we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32
For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows
that you need all these things. 33 But seek first His kingdom and
His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for
itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Worrying is not for the birds
How often do you find yourself worrying about
things that are out of your control?
Jesus instructs us that we should not be concerned about these types of
things.
Life is more than food and drink. During His temptation in the wilderness in Luke
4:4, Jesus refers to Deuteronomy 8:3 which states that “man does not live by
bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the
LORD.” The birds don’t trouble
themselves over what they will eat, but God takes care of them. God loves and cares about you even more than
He cares about the birds; He will also provide for you.
The body is more than clothing. Isaiah 40:7-8 tell us that the grass and
flowers wither and fade, the people are grass, but God’s word is eternal. The lilies in the field don’t concern
themselves with how they will dress for the sunrise, but God clothes them with
splendid raiment. More glorious are the
flowers of the field than royalty even though today they are enjoyed and
tomorrow they are dead; God will also make sure you are clothed.
Set your focus
What
should be our primary focus? What did
Jesus tell us to do with all of our energy?
“Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.” He didn’t tell us to get our lives in order;
He instructed us to seek God’s design and glory. If that is our focus, our hearts will be in
the right place, and God will take care of the other things that are
necessary. God sees the big picture, but
He is also intimately familiar with the details. He knows our needs and concerns Himself with
meeting them. You can trust God with
your smallest needs and your future. Do
not worry about tomorrow. The key to not
worrying is having the correct focus in life.
Monday
Read Deuteronomy 8. The Israelites were about to be
ushered into the Promised Land. These
words from Moses were to warn them ahead of time what they were to be focused
on before entering. One of the memories
he mentions is the feeding by manna in the wilderness. Do not worry about yourselves. There was one thing for the Israelites to
keep in the forefront of their minds.
This same thing is pressing to us.
Keep God first. It’s not about
you, your comfort, your pleasure, your accomplishments, your plans, your
talents, your abilities, or your glory.
It’s all about Him.
Tuesday
Read Isaiah 40. This chapter declares how great God is
and how weak we are in comparison. In
this week’s study we are looking at setting our focus. In this passage, Isaiah clearly delineates
how we are impotent in relation to God.
He is the One who “reduces rulers to nothing” and “makes the judges of
the earth meaningless.” He calls the
stars by name. In the context, Israel is
being chastised for thinking they would get away with idol worship and other
sinful behaviors, however, the principles are true in any context. “The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator
of the ends of the earth does not become weary.” He gives strength to those who trust in
Him. Where is your heart today? Are you focused on God and His kingdom or are
you worried about trivial things that He’s already providing for you?
Wednesday
Read 1 Samuel 15:10-23. In this passage, King Saul had been
given instructions by God, and he disobeyed.
Perhaps it was because he was greedy and wanted the goods; perhaps it
was because he was prideful and wanted to gloat in front of his enemy; perhaps
it was because he really gave in to the people; perhaps he didn’t think that
God’s plan was logical. Whatever the
case, King Saul was disobedient because he was not seeking God’s glory
first. Any of these possible causes of
his disobedience (or any other excuse) is not acceptable. Disobedience (rebellion), as Samuel says, is
just as wicked as witchcraft. King Saul
was guilty of not focusing his attention on God. What about you? Are you distracted from carrying out God’s
plan because of material gain, power and prestige, fame, or other people’s
opinions? Whatever the excuse,
disobedience is sin.
Thursday
Read Luke 10:38-42. Jesus stops at the house of Martha, Mary, and
Lazarus. Martha busily prepares food,
and Mary sits and listens to Jesus’ teachings.
In all of her service, Martha was missing the most important thing –
spending time with Jesus. Yes, there are
tasks to perform, deadlines to meet, and goals to accomplish, but sitting at
the Savior’s feet and absorbing His words are far more important than any
earthly goal. Focusing your heart on
learning God’s nature and molding your character into His is the very essence of
the Christian life. No matter what you
are doing for God, you cannot be obedient to His call if you are not listening
to His voice.
Friday
Read Acts 4:1-31. There are intriguing details and
parallels in this passage to the Old Testament and to the life of Jesus, but
look particularly at Peter’s words in verses 7-12 and again in verses
19-20. Peter is not focused on the
events that have taken place, he’s not interested in the commotion, he’s not
distracted at the opportunity for popularity; he’s got one goal in mind,
proclaiming that Christ Jesus is the Messiah.
No matter what God has called you to do today, no matter what blessings,
interruptions, or crises come up, God wants you to focus on proclaiming the gospel
of Jesus Christ.
