TOPIC: WHAT IS YOUR FOCUS?
MEMORISE:
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Colossians 3:2
READ: Colossians 3:1-4
1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
MESSAGE
From my experience as a lecturer before going into full-time ministry, I know that in a class, not everyone’s focus is on understanding what is being taught. Some students are focused on the teacher’s clothes, some on how he talks, others on impressing other students, and so on. What is worthy of note is that those who focus on less important things lose a whole lot in the end.
This same thing plays out in God’s kingdom; many Christians do not focus on the right things. All some Christians want from God is a new car, a new house, a promotion and so on. I pity such Christians because they might get what they are focused on but lose out on the more important things they have ignored.
Jesus Christ said that you should seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all other things shall be added to you (Matthew 6:33). In other words, if you just focus on making it to heaven by being righteous here on earth, cars, houses and other material things will automatically come your way. I am a living testimony of what Jesus said in this verse of Scripture. I set my focus on the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and now, I can’t count how many of these other things I have. The best part is that I am also on my way to heaven.
Why focus on things that are temporary instead of things that are eternal? Focus on the eternal things, and the temporary things will follow. Many people never reach the heights that God has ordained for them because somewhere along the line, they take their focus away from heaven and start pursuing material things. Their prayers change from, “Lord, help me to love You more” to “Lord, give me this and that.” You need to remember that when the roll is called up yonder, none of these things will matter anymore. Ask anyone who has had a near-death experience, and they will tell you that material things, as flashy as they may seem, are not worth all the attention given to them. From now on, make Paul’s admonition in 2 Corinthians 4:18 your lifestyle:
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
REFLECTION
Search your heart; what really are you focused on?
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nehemiah 8-10
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
HYMN 10: IN CHRIST ALONE
1 In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
2 In Christ alone, who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe.
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied –
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.
3 There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine –
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
4 No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand:
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.
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