STAY FOCUSED

 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:2-3 (NIV)

                We hear a lot today about distracted driving. Routinely, on my drive into the office, I see people absorbed on their cell phone while driving 80 mph down the freeway. Recently, the state of Michigan passed a law against the use of cell phones while you are driving, but people continue to do it. Old habits are hard to break.

                What we don’t hear about today is distracted living. As dangerous as it is to be distracted while you are driving, it is far more dangerous to live a distracted life, yet many people do. To be honest, we all do, from time to time. There are so many things that grab our attention and pull our focus away from what is really important. There are many good things that we give too much attention to and that distract us from living focused lives. There are many causes and conflicts that grab our attention, and in doing so distract us. And there are intentional efforts by some to distract us for their gain.

                Suanne and I attended a celebration banquet last night for Grace Adventures, a Christian camp (which happens to be where our son and daughter-in-law work). Throughout their presentation, they shared stories of lives changed through encountering Jesus at camp. But at the center of everything they said was their focus to impact lives with Jesus Christ. Although they offer a variety of activities and formats, all that they do is focused on that one goal; to impact lives with Jesus Christ.

                The early church was often distracted from their main purpose. In the church at Corinth, the church was distracted by a debate over who was their favorite preacher. The church was distracted by the cultural environment around them and what they could participate in and what they could not. They were distracted by making the use of spiritual gifts a competition. They were even distracted by a skewed concept of what it really means to love one another. Paul had to write to them and bring them back to the Gospel of Christ.

                Many churches today are distracted by a variety of things. Many of these are good things, but are being given the wrong place. Some of these things are harmful. They consume our energy and distract us from living out the Gospel in our world. We get caught up in endless debates and unending projects, and in the process, we lose our focus. The Bible warns us to not get caught up in these controversies that drain our energy and our resources.

                Paul instructed both Timothy and Titus to steer clear of endless debates and controversies. As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work--which is by faith. 1 Timothy 1:3-4 (NIV)
But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. Titus 3:9 (NIV)

                The writer of Hebrews challenges us to keep our focus on Christ. In Hebrews 12:3 he tells us that if we keep our focus on Christ, we will not grow weary and lose heart. I appreciate that, because I know what it is to become weary and lose heart. At one season in my ministry, I went through a very difficult conflict from within my church. It drained my energy and distracted our church from what we were supposed to do. It took us quite a while to regain our focus.

                Satan is working double time to distract believers from living focused lives. He does it by sowing the seeds of conflict within the church. He does it by overwhelming us with choices, each of which demands our time and attention. He even does it by offering us good things that keep us busy and distracted from the best things.

                Every day we need to take the time to reset and refocus. We need to seek to put things in their proper perspective and to never lose sight of Jesus. It is a battle to live our lives focused on Christ and His mission in the world. It will often put us at odds with those around us. But if we really want our lives to count for eternity, them we need to be vigilant and stay focused.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)