FOCUS
Living with an eternal perspective
"See the ball!" How many times have we heard this from our coaches? Probably more times than we care to remember! But think for a moment how important the eyes are in softball. If an athlete "boots" a ball, it’s probably because she didn’t see the ball all the way into her glove. Or if a batter is not making solid contact, it’s possible that she either didn’t see the ball or didn’t see the center of the ball. Fortunately, focus or even narrowing one’s focus, can be learned; it is an acquired skill. That’s a good thing, because the eyes are a key to any athlete’s success.
If our eyes make that much of a difference in softball, how much more valuable are our eyes to living successfully? Jesus has told us that our eyes are the lamp of the body. If our eyes are good, our whole body will be full of light. But if our eyes are bad, our whole body will be full of darkness (Matthew 6:22-23)!
Eve’s downfall, for example, came when she took her focus off God and put it on the fruit of the tree of good and evil (Genesis 3:6). We are also familiar with the result of David’s lust after Bathsheba, as recorded in 2 Samuel 11. Or how about Achan in Joshua 7? Achan sinned against the Lord by stealing a beautiful robe, silver, and gold. In all three incidents, the pattern was that they saw, they desired, and they took something that could only give them temporal satisfaction.
But as children of God, we are to have a different focus than the world. We are to focus on the eternal, not the temporal. The Apostle Paul tells us that we are to "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 4:18). Moses is a great example as he deliberately turned his back on Egypt and its treasures because he was looking ahead to his eternal reward (Hebrews 11:25-27).
It is vital that we keep our eyes focused on that which is eternal so that we don’t fall into the same trap as Eve, David, Achan, and many others. How, then, can we keep our vision clear or narrow our focus?
1. Like Moses, choose not to focus on the things of the world. Deliberately turn your back on the cravings of sinful man, the lust of man’s eyes, and the boasting of what man does (1 John 2:16). These things do not come from the Father and can only bring temporary satisfaction. If we don’t protect our eyes, we will be tempted to take the next step of desiring and taking ahold of in these things.
2. Like Paul, choose to focus on the eternal. Let’s see, desire, and take ahold of the things that are eternal, such as Jesus (Hebrews 2:12) and people (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Ask yourself: Who or what am I serving? To what am I giving myself, my time, my energies? What do I desire more than anything else in this life? Is my heart fixed upon God or temporal things? What possesses me? Is it a passion for God or a passion for the toys of this life? Is it upon heavenly treasures that have eternal value? Determine to live for the things that will last for all eternity!
Other related verses: Job 31:1; Psalm 119:18; Psalm 141:8; Proverbs 4:25; Proverbs 15:3; John 4:35; 1 Corinthians 2:9; 1 Peter 3:12; Revelation 1:7.