Focus

One of life’s biggest dangers is the trap of the temporal. One writer notes that our “deepest devotions simply leak out of our bodies by how we spend our time and what makes us smile and what claims our energy.” Most of our time and energy is spent on the things we will retire from and leave behind. When we are caught in the trap of the temporal, we burn out or wash out. But…there is a remedy.

John the Baptist made his days count. He lived life “plain and simple”–camel hair clothes and a leather belt; roasted locusts (surely, he didn’t eat them raw) and wild honey to eat. But what impresses me most is that John the Baptist was a man who knew his purpose. He was on earth to prepare the world for Jesus, and he never wavered. He lived with a spiritual focus. Isn’t that the kind of life you want to live?

Uncertainty is the only certainty in our lives. We just don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Money markets rise and fall. Health can take a quick turn. Children make decisions that alter their lives…and ours. One phone call can change everything. Uncertainty around us produces fears within us. But…the fear of uncertainty doesn’t wear well on followers of Jesus.

How do you make sure your priorities are straight? How do you put first things first? How do you know for sure that you are not chasing the wrong things? In today’s passage, Jesus answers those questions. 

And when Solomon focuses on God and regains an eternal perspective, the doubts go away. He concludes that “the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” (Eccl. 12:7). Our doubts are alleviated when we focus on Jesus.

Solomon forgot that all his wisdom came as a gift from God (1 Kings 3:11-12). Solomon said that he was wiser than kings before him. Remember, he followed King David—the standard-bearer for all Israel’s kings.

We were saved ultimately for this great hope. In the meantime, we live obediently and wait patiently.

When the spotlight shines on you…will you use it to promote yourself, or will you use it to point others to Christ? Two options, but only one right answer.

The race is too important to run without determination and focus. So run hard! And finish strong!