All tagged focus
As I read my devotional text this morning it spoke of prayer as providing the Christian with aim, focus, character, good conduct, determination, and a clearer idea of religion, but its claims regarding these came with no definitive method by which this was to be achieved. The only supporting evidence offered came from a short passage in 1st Thessalonians.
Obedience is about the taming of our own disobedient nature; it is the bridling of our wild and unruly spirit that, without God's guidance, would run unleashed in us, and rule our lives. Our hope and salvation rests in the redemption of Christ and the grace of God which, coupled with the Holy Spirit, brings our savage nature back into check, and instills in us a hard won righteousness and humility. In this way we are saved from ourselves. Paul gives the Thessalonians, and us, instruction on how to control ourselves and follow Jesus; then, in the hope we are focusing our faith on, he writes:
“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23 KJV
Today we explore the impact that prayer has on our life and religion. We will also discuss how that occurs, and the importance of that act. As I read Pastor E.M. Bounds this morning I was struck by his strong words "Prayer is not an indifferent, small thing. It is not a sweet little privilege. It is a great prerogative, far-reaching in its effects." After reading this thought I sank back into my chair and let his words sink in. Then, I glanced back at the page and continued to read... "Prayer is not just an episode of the Christian life..... Life is a preparation for and the result of prayer, prayer is the sum of religion."
We begin our prayers focused on certain desires, and thoughts, but as we continue on in our conversation with the Lord our minds often begin to wander, and we lose sight of the real reason we were praying in the first place. Sometimes we stop our prayer altogether, but many times we have heard something like a child coughing elsewhere in our house, the urgency of a passing siren on the street, or the sound of thunder off in the distance, and they take us into a different prayer and we seek another of God’s promises. Our prayers should include a request that our hearts and minds be guarded in Christ so that we will remain focused on the prayer at hand, and we will not be distracted.
When I came to know Jesus it was in full submission to Him, but have I served Him over all else in my life? Have I been the servant He expected me to be, or has my commitment to Him become a much sought after convenience on my part? These are my thoughts this morning, and they convict me.
Does God have to move something, or someone, out of the way before we will see Him? Is our attention focused somewhere other than on Him? Our God is a jealous God... He told us so, which begs the question... why do we taunt Him with our inattention? This is my concentration today. I am asking myself if there are people or things in my life that keeps me from Him.
We live in the world, and can become so wrapped up in the things that it has to offer that we begin to wear them around like badges of honor, and feel they give us all the worth we need; happy lives, and even the ability to control our own destiny, but nothing could be further from the truth. We have what the world offers us for a brief instant, and our bodies themselves are only here for the blink of an eye... then, all these things pass away, and there is only God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the spiritual things of Heaven. Our lives, like a spark rising from a night fire will twinkle, and then fade into darkness, but in Jesus we burn brightly as we come to know God for all eternity.