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Kingdom Focused!

 

Our country and even our churches are being challenged by the friction emanating from various strong emotions that are splintering us into factions and dismantling us into taking sides. The trends over the last year with the Coronavirus, isolation, masking, social distancing, election fraud theories, and events surrounding the US Presidency have us on edge, fearful, angry and confused. Who can we trust? Who can we believe? What should we do?

The best place to start to answer those questions is to remember, Romans 12:1, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”

First, we must get our heads out of the world and stop conforming our beliefs, thoughts and perspectives on progressive world views. The world has an agenda and it will never include God and will always lead us astray. We must stop following. We must stop listening to that message.

Secondly, we must place our faith and trust squarely in Jesus Christ. We must become totally dependent upon Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior. We will never see our full potential on our own no matter how hard we try. We must surrender to Christ daily.

It is sad to think that “self-help” books account for nearly $13 billion in annual sales. In fact, the #1 “self-help” book of all time is entitled “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. The Bible never says to trust solely in ourselves and our own abilities.

We are told in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” We must place our trust in God’s plan for us and accept His timing, purpose, and reasoning behind what He allows and what He calls us to do.

1 Peter 2:11, “Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Our purpose, calling and work does not relate to a permanent residency here on this earth. We must be Christ-centered and heavenly minded.

I realize we need to make a living. I realize we have to put food on the table, pay bills, get kids through school, and excel in our careers. There is nothing wrong with that unless these things are allowed to become obsessions in our life. They must never get to the point where they consume us.

If we allow earthly things to consume us and become obsessions in our hearts where we slowly abandon the things of God and are no longer “kingdom focused,” then we must realize we make ourselves an enemy of God.

James 4:4, “You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.” We must be extremely careful that necessities of life to not become consuming obsessions of life.

May we start to turn our full attention and awareness to eternity and God’s Kingdom. May we determine and understand (once and for all) that anything of significance we do should culminate in helping others come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

We call that “Discipleship” where we lead others to Christ and help them spiritually mature to where they can start leading others to Christ. We are helping others, help others. It is a beautiful “cycle” of growing, empowering, and strengthening our own faith.

The Gospel should never be hoarded, but “heralded” for all to see, hear and experience. The Christian faith is not a private, practicing faith. It is an open and sharing faith that must be accepted, lived out and given away.

Let us be “Kingdom focused people” who decide to finally let this world go in order to seek out people who do not know Jesus as their Savior. Let us strive to seek out those who have weakened or abandoned their faith to show them the love of God and who Jesus truly is. We must. We should. We should no longer fight this truth. Let us be Disciples of Jesus. Let us be Kingdom focused.

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