Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Focus on Jesus

We must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially sin that distracts us…We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).

When you are doing something monotonous, your mind tends to drift.  What do you think about at such times?  Where does your mind wander as you spend hours behind the wheel, when you lean back during a boring meeting, or while you are washing a big stack of dishes?  Your thoughts, at such times, suggest what’s important to you.

Each day is filled with things that must be done.  Some days get so busy that you need a planner to stay on track.  When you put together your schedule, which activities do you most look forward to?  If time becomes a problem, which elements of the day do you most regret having to sacrifice?  At such times, your feelings reveal what’s important to you.

Of course, no one has full control over how their time is spent.  If you want to get a paycheck, the boss dictates much of your schedule.  If you want to wear clean clothes, the laundry won’t do itself.  Severe weather, major accidents and significant illness can eat up time and demand your undivided attention.  But what about the rest of the time?  The things you long to do, the activities you hate to put off and work hard to fit into your day, these reveal what’s truly important to you.

The season of Lent is designed with this in mind.  During Lent, it is customary to give up something distracting in order to make more space for spiritual activities.  How important to you is your relationship with Jesus?  When you are doing something monotonous, do you daydream or do you use the opportunity for prayer?  When you spend a day constantly putting out one fire after another, do you regret not having some uninterrupted time to open a Bible and be soothed by God’s Word?  Do you hate having a job that makes you work on Sunday morning when you’d rather be in church worshiping the Savior?

Use these days of Lent to think about what’s important to you.  Don’t focus on what you are giving up; instead, view this as an opportunity to give the Lord Christ more of your attention by taking less important stuff out of your schedule.

Blog Top Sites
Blog Directory & Search engine
Blog Directory