When teaching my sons how to play
baseball there is a word that keeps coming up.
Whether they are catching the ball, throwing the ball, or batting we
often talk about focus. Take your eye of the ball when you are trying
to catch it and you might get a black eye.
Don’t pay attention when you throw and you’ll likely miss your
target. Fail to see the ball when you
are batting, and you’ll probably strike out.
Focus matters in baseball – and other areas of life.
Focus matters in the Christian faith,
too. As Paul writes to the Colossians,
whom he has not met, he greets them, thanks God for them and the faith God has
given them, and then he focuses in on Jesus.
In Him we have redemption and forgiveness. He is the image (icon) of the invisible
God. Everything was created by Him and He
holds everything together. All things
were created for Him. He is the origin,
the head of the body, the firstborn from the dead, and the first in all
things. He is God’s presence and He
reconciles us to Himself through His blood.
He is the one in you; your hope of glory through His deeds of salvation. He is the one we proclaim.
Unfortunately we often lose our focus,
don’t we? It sure seems so according to
this generation’s perception of God’s people.
According to David Kinnaman’s book, YouLost Me, young people (18-30) who have walked away from church see a
disconnect between being people who have a hope of glory in Christ and what the
church actually provides to its people. We
are viewed as overprotective - demonizing every aspect of culture, shallow –
not dealing with real life issues, anti-science – refusing to recognize the
good things science brings into the world, and repressive – treating sex as a
taboo.
Clearly, there are important issues in
this world that God’s people must stand against in order to be faithful to
Christ. But isn’t it strange that if our
focus is on Christ that we would be known for everything but Christ? Paul urges us to proclaim our Savior with
both warnings and wisdom – sharing that Jesus impacts and is at work in every
aspect of our lives – worship, work, school, and family – by His glorious
grace.
Lord Jesus, help me focus on You. As I live help me to remember that You have
forgiven me, and empower me to live accordingly. As I deal with others, help me to focus on You
to win them with Your love. Amen.
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