Where is Our Focus??

ByTammy

I am so proud to announce that my husband, affectionately known as Grandpa, will now be guest posting on My Life Abundant.

I hope you enjoy his words of inspiration as much as I do.

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WHERE IS YOUR FOCUS?

It’s hard not to be focused on Obamacare these days. It seems as though that’s what the news is about every day. Before Obamacare, it was job losses, which came after the economic meltdown, which came after the energy crisis, which came after the real estate bubble bursting. It’s always something that seems to be major to keep our focus on the wrong things.

After reading that first paragraph, most of you are thinking, “How can you say I am focusing on the wrong things when I have lost my healthcare or my job, or I can’t even find a job. Or I can’t sell my house much less make the payments on it. Or maybe any number of other dilemmas that I am facing.”

Now that I have made all of you mad at me – let me explain.

As a Christian, I learned many years ago what Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 – “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” What this means is that if we keep our focus on him and his righteousness, then we don’t have to worry about anything else. Everything else will be taken care of and we won’t have to worry and wring our hands about all the cares of this world.

Now, like many of you, I learned this many, many years ago. The problem is, I didn’t follow it. I continued to do things in a way that seemed right – I did things the world’s ways. There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death, Proverbs 14:12.

A few years ago, I finally started living by Matthew 6:33 and not just knowing about it in my memory bank.

What happened to me was that I was faced with an overwhelming number of these life issues that we face, and I was trying to solve them my way and the world’s ways. I had a talk with God asking him why all this was happening to me and he very simply said to me in my spirit, “just who or what are you trusting in?” I realized right then where my focus needed to be.

My hope and prayer is that you as an individual and we as a country realize that we don’t have a healthcare problem, or an employment problem, or an economic problem, or an energy problem, or a real estate problem, or a Republican problem, or a Democrat problem. We have a spiritual problem.

If you have made several New Year’s resolutions, I would encourage you to condense those several into one – focus on Jesus!

Where is your focus?

Grandpa

14 Comments

  1. Great post, just what I needed to hear today. I have a bad tendency to want to “fix” all my problems. We’ll we All know how that usually turns out.

    1. Hi Jason. Thanks for the kind words. I’m learning this as …..”entering into His rest.” The best explanation I’ve heard for this is that when we try to “fix” things or work, God will rest, but when we rest or enter into His rest, God goes to work. Grandpa

  2. So true! My husband and I were so blessed through the challenges of our first year because we had no choice but to focus on Jesus. We were married at 19 and I know for a fact that we would not still be married almost 10 years later if it wasn’t for the fact that the Lord guided us to him in that first year. And every year since then.
    In the same thought as this, we homeschool our kids and the Lord has put on my heart that my number one responsibility as their mother and teacher is to teach them about Him. All the rest will fall into place. God is the center.
    Thank you for sharing this 🙂

    1. Thank God that you learned this at a young age. You are so right to focus and lead your children in focusing on Jesus. May God bless you and your family. Grandpa

  3. So true, my husband and I say a similar thing often – that the real issue is a spiritual one, not a (fill in the blank) hot button issue. I was blessed to have found your post through Salt & Light over at raysofgraceandjoy.blogspot.com.

    Thanks!

    Marissa

    1. Wouldn’t it be great if we as a nation would turn our focus back to the spiritual? Remember what 2 Chronicles 7:14 says?
      If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. God bless you and your family! Grandpa

    1. Amen sister !!! Preach it!!! One of my favorite hymns is “Turn your eyes upon Jesus” …..look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. God bless you Amanda, Grandpa.

  5. One of my favourite verses and a great reminder today that the culture does not dictate our quality of life when we are in Christ. Sometimes we suffer financial setbacks so we can lean into Him more – I have experienced this first hand in recent years. No amount of money or material comfort compares to resting in Him.

    1. Amen! Another good verse is 1 John 4:17
      Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. Grandpa

  6. It’s sad that so many people have lost their spiritual path. It seems like it just isn’t “cool” to be spiritual anymore…Thanks for linking up with the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party. I have pinned your post to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Board!

    1. And just as your name “finding heaven today” says, If we would focus on Him daily, we could find heaven daily. Amen….Grandpa

  8. You’re not saying the wrong things at all. We *do* need to keep our focus on God and His Word. I realized, with some experiences that I’m going through now, that previously I’ve been guilty of putting faith in other things, like a particular job or a particular paycheck. Those things don’t provide for us, the Lord provides for us. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

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