Where is Your Focus?

"Your focus determines your lifestyle." --Pastor Steve Krier

I don't know about you, but it's really easy for me to focus on what lies directly in front of me. In my situation that involves where to go to school, what degree to get, who to date and marry, etc. It's easy to get caught up in planning the immediate future and striving to achieve those goals. My focus is set entirely on myself. However, we are called to have a different focus:

"Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." -- Colossians 3:2

Philippians 3 tells us that our citizenship is in heaven, and here Paul is reminding us of that fact. Paul lived with an eternal perspective, which is seen again here:

 "We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen as transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." -- 2 Corinthians 4:18  

In our flesh this is impossible. We're creatures of time, therefore everything goes in sequence. We're focused on the here and now. We're also driven to seek our best interests, so our motives are geared towards benefiting ourselves.

This is not about trying harder and doing better.

The joyful truth here is that this is something God gives us. We don't have to muster up an eternal perspective. We don't have to force ourselves to love others. God has the ability to change the heart, and He is able to change our focus as well. As we look to Him, He will change our focus, and in turn change our lifestyle. He will break our heart for what breaks His and give us love for that which He loves.

This video was shown at Campus Crusade this week and it broke my heart. Sometimes it's good to be broken though, because that leads us to God. And He's the only One that can change anything in our hearts.



Where is your focus?