Right Focus, Great Life (Part One)

How do you pray? A preacher once said he sees nowhere in the Bible where Paul, the apostle, prayed for his own needs. His focus in prayer was the Kingdom of God and people's involvement in it.

But where is our focus? Where is yours? Do we not usually have a shopping list before God?

What is the Lord's aim for His children? Is His dream not that we should know Him?

Generally man tends to focus on self. I do not even refer to non-believers here. Just listen to many of the messages you hear from the pulpit, on radio and television, as well as the lyrics of worship songs. What is the focus in them? I hear much of how God loves us and desires to bless us and how good He is to us and therefore we do not need to worry.

The focus appears to be mostly on I, me, and myself and very little on discovering who the Lord God is and what changes we need to make in order to become like Jesus, so that God may be glorified. Then I cannot help thinking of the passage in 2 Timothy 4:3: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

When we witness, do we not usually focus on telling what the Lord has done for us and how He has blessed us and provided for us? You may ask what is wrong with it. Is that not what the Lord has promised He will do? Yes, He certainly had our wellbeing in mind when He made those promises, but not so much for the sake of our own comfort, but rather that we may be fit and cared for whilst we work in the harvest field of His Kingdom and at maintaining a righteous relationship with Him (Matthew 6:33, Matthew 9:37). In this context He promised His care and provision whilst we busy ourselves with His interests. How about therefore getting involved with the needs of others and then witness what the Lord has done for them?

What are we seeking when seeking the Kingdom of God? In Romans 14:17 we read that the Kingdom of God is righteousness (rightness with God), peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. So what are you actively pursuing through prayer and action? You firstly seek right standing with God for yourself. This you do by moving into Christ's righteousness through faith (John 3:3-5). You make the rightness with God, which Jesus bought for you on the cross, your own. You cannot earn rightness with God. It's a gift you have to accept for yourself.

But you may already be born again and therefore have taken the previous step. Next you have to bring your soul in line with this righteousness by working with the Holy Spirit to get your behaviour and desires right before God (Philippians 2:12-13). Resulting from this is peace and joy because you are progressing towards living in faith and obedience.

Following this you need to work towards getting those around you to have this same Kingdom. This involves witnessing, evangelism, serving, preaching, teaching, encouragement, exhortation, prophesying and so on.

With regard to seeking right standing or righteousness with the Lord, have a read of 2 Corinthians 6:16-18. Have you checked yourself whether you are free from idols and of use to God? This passage continues in chapter 7:1: “Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”

Do you see what God's aim is with your life? Do you still think just becoming born again or belonging to a church is sufficient? (To be continued)


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