Fixing your Focus

Philippians 4:8

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 

I have found that what I focus on determines my attitude and mindset.  If I focus on the positive, I am usually positive.  If I focus on the negative, my attitude can turn sour.  When adjusting to cultural stress, changes in ministry, or life's difficulties I have to determine what I focus on.  Focus is a central point, as of attraction, attention, or activity.  Here are five places to fix your focus.

1. Focus on Jesus not yourself

 Live the crucified life not the self life by putting Jesus on the throne of your heart.  He is your savior and your Lord, the supreme authority over your life.  Make him your first priority by spending extravagant time with him.  Die to your wants, desires, and dreams and live for Him and Him alone.  

2. Focus on what you have gained not on what you have lost.

We all make sacrifices in working overseas and you can make your sacrifice your focus or you can focus on all the blessings you have received. It is not about what you have to do, it all about what you get to do.  Set your eyes on what lies before you not on what is behind you.  Vision is always looks forward, don't spend the rest of your life looking in the review mirror.

3. Focus on what you can do not on what you can't.

There tends to be a lot of restrictions on what we can do where we live.  There are laws working against us, shortages of resources, people, etc.  We can focus on what we can't do and what we don't have or we can get up every morning and ask ourselves, what can I do today to glorify Jesus and expand  his kingdom?  The choice you make will determine your fruitfulness.  There will always be obstacles and reasons you can't, the people who make a difference discover what they can do and then they do it.

4. Focus on your responsibilities not on perks, privileges, and titles.

Never begrudge another person's blessing.  I have been given an assignment and that is to be what I focus on.  I do not concern myself with what a colleague may or may not be doing.  I am responsible for myself and I am to serve with the best of my abilities.  Jesus is the master and we are His servants. Servants have no rights or privileges. Servants serve.

5. Focus on giving not on receiving.

Always give more than you receive. Never focus on what you can get, always focus on what you can give. Find  a need and fill it.  Don't be self centered but other people centered.  Life shrinks when your eyes are on you and life expands when your eyes are on the world around you.

What are you focusing on today?

Cathy's Corner

Delight---such a beautiful and rich word.  But what does it really mean?  Do we in our daily lives really delight in anyone, anything, anywhere?  Over the past few weeks I've been praying and meditating over this verse.  

Psalm 37:4--Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. 

It's a delightful thing as we come to the place where we hear Him call us to Himself and to follow His plans marked out before us.  But what happens when we set out on the journey and things don't always look the way we expected them to look and even we are not asked to do what I felt God called me to do.   Do we begin to question our leaders, the process, maybe even the LORD?  

In the beginning I stopped with verse 4; then one day I noticed the first word in the next verse is "commit".  

V.5--Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act.  

When The Lord calls I must also trust His plan, His provision and His process.  He knows what must be put in me and what must be taken out of me to prepare me for what is in store for the days ahead.  When He called David to be king I wonder if he thought hiding in caves would be part of the preparation? Or if Esther could see she would one day be used to save her people, when it looked as though her purpose was to daily fulfill the desires of her earthly king?  

We must "commit" ourselves to Him and "trust" that He will act.

So fret not, my friend, at whatever task you find yourself attending to daily. Even if it seems you are serving an earthly king that serves no "kingdom" purpose; delight yourself in Him and He will give you the desires of your heart.   And remember that what you see today with your eyes, is not all that He is doing! 

So don't give up or grow weary in your well doing...HAVE FUN---life can be "delightful" if you're looking through His eyes! 

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