Who Are You Focusing On

by | Mar 14, 2014

2 Peter 1:5-8   For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Do you want to be effective in all that you do?  Do you want to be used by God to the fullest extent that He created you to be?  The only way to be all that we were created to be is to keep our focus on Him and continue to grow in Him.  Is your focus God and obtaining these qualities so you can better serve Him or is your focus you?  Too often we can be so focused on ourselves in the wrong way so therefore God is shut out and can’t work in our lives.  If you are focusing on yourself it better be to gain more knowledge of who God is and to become more like Him, rather than what you feel He needs to do for you. If you focus on yourself, how do you expect to accomplish all that God has called you to do?  It is impossible to pour into others if your focus is you.

We can never get to the point where we have enough of any of the characteristics mentioned in these verses.  We can always continue to grow to be more like Christ.  When I look at the list it is a reminder of the fact that I constantly need to be focused on God and striving to be more like Him in every way.  There’s always room for more growth.  Even Paul said in Philippians 3:11-14 “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  Paul did his best to not focus on His past, his trials, the fact that he was single, he didn’t focus on what he lacked, or what he called his thorn in the flesh, or sex or even all of the qualities he had that were considered very important to the Jews, his focus was all on Jesus.

What is your focus today?  Are you struggling?  Is your focus truly on God and becoming more like Him so you can better serve Him or is your focus on what you feel God should be doing for you?  Growth can only come through becoming more like Christ and you cannot be focused on yourself and attain that, you must allow Him to be number one and your goals need to be focused on becoming more like Him not self-satisfying.  Ask God today to give you the strength you need to press forward into His likeness, setting aside those things that have been your focus, giving it all to Him and trusting Him to fulfill your every need by His mercy and grace!

Quote:  “It’s a funny thing in life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.”  W. Somerset Maughn  (especially when it comes to your own attitude)

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