Focused Life

The most vital thing for all of us, as we answer the call of eternity & grow in our walk with the Lord, is to become more like Jesus. As we look beyond the cross like He did, we can stay focused on our race of faith. Life is short on this planet and everything will be burned up when we step in at the gate of eternity. Hence, it make no sense in investing our resources - time, energy and finances in the things that can & will soon be destroyed. Each morning as we awake, let's take a new look at our lives in the light of eternity. We must ask ourselves, What are the essentials that I need to live with, to run this race so as to win?! The following 7 factors will help us to walk away from the fleshly desires.

Walking Away from the World:

1. We must have a good Testimony:

   Heb 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

   Enoch, Job, Abraham, Moses & David all had good testimony with God. To have a good testimony, our walk / life must be pleasing to God, that is:

2. We must be Obedient:

   Heb 11:8-10 ⁸By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.⁹By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; ¹⁰for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

   • Abram left his father/relatives in Haran when he was called
   • he gave up the best fertile land to Lot
   • trusting in God, he was willing to give up his only son of promise

   We must be obeying what Jesus said: "Forsake all and follow Me." It begins with an attitude of the heart. We are called to follow the example of Jesus, who fixed His eyes beyond the cross that was before Him and never turned to the right or to the left, but be obedient. Only when we look / keep our focus on the prize, we can be obedient. Hence,

3. We must confess that we're strangers & pilgrims on earth &
4. We must be longing for a Better Country:

   Heb 11:13-16 ¹³These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.¹⁴For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. ¹⁵And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

   God won't be ashamed to be called our God, because

5. We must See Him Who Is Invisible by faith:

   Heb 11:24-27 ²⁴By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, ²⁵choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, ²⁶esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. ²⁷By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.

   Moses had a life of luxury, but he willingly left that behind in Egypt. If we have this faith,

6. We will take up our cross daily:

   Heb 11:35-40 ³⁵ ...And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. ³⁶Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. ³⁷They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented; ³⁶of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. ³⁹And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, ⁴⁰God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

   To walk daily with the cross,

7. We will have to `Learn to say No' to our society/Culture

   Whenever the culture around us hinders our obedience to the voice of God and what He has shown us in His Word, we must say no to it. No matter how impossible this seems at first, when we step out in faith, God will act.

   Daniel and his friends were taken captive into Babylon: ⁸But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. ⁹Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. (Dan 1:8-9).

   It is not the culture in which we live, that bear the responsibility for our walk with the Lord, but ourselves. We must learn to distinguish between the dictates of society / culture and what the Lord is asking of us.

The reason Abraham, Moses and Daniel and all the rest of the heroes of faith could walk away from this world and all its enticements was that they saw something that others could not. They priced the prize with correct proportions and hence, eternity was stamped upon their eyes. Everyone is faced with two choices:

• either to follow the Lord with all their hearts or
• to live for themselves like the rest of the world.

The choices we make will determine the impact he have in our testimony for the Lord. Jesus said that men can know the tree from its fruit - whether it is a good or bad one. Hence being a doer of the word is mandatory for this walk on way to eternity.

Meditation:

1. Which factor(s) is most essential for me right now to help me walk away from the world for Jesus?
2. Which step(s) do I need to take to be a better example/ testimony for Jesus?

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