Stay Focused

"And I--in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness." --Psalm 17:15

No matter how good or bad (in our eyes) our lives are going, no matter what perspective we have on our lives...we must remain focused on the Lord and satisfied with seeing His likeness. This may seem relatively difficult when things are rough and we don't see what good could possibly come from our current situation, but God has promised us that He works all things together for the good of those who love Him. On the other hand, it is also problematic to stay focused on the Lord when things are going well...when we feel like we are being blessed as we go throughout our days and weeks...when our cups are overflowing.

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me...forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." --Philippians 4:12-14

This passage applies to a vast array of situations, but the way I view it in light of the current necessity of focus provides me with substantial encouragement. We do not deserve anything that God gives us...nothing...we are of no value or worth apart from our Lord and Creator. We owe Him our lives in exchange for the immeasurable grace that He gave us when He bore our sins on the cross. How humbling is it to think that He created and saved us, knowing full well all of the times that we would turn away and stray to our own crooked paths, and He still chooses to use us to be lights in this dark world?! And as well as things appear to go during certain seasons of our lives when we are striving solely for God's purposes, nothing on this earth will ever compare to heaven, where we will fully experience the glory of God.

So...in a nutshell, whether things are going well or terribly, we must praise the Lord...not that it is an obligation...it is an inexplicable privilege that we should all feel honored to have.

This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be empited again
The seed I've received I will sow