Focus on Jesus

“Focus on Jesus” Colossians 3:1-4, Hebrews 3:1 As I began to prepare for today’s message, I had a million ideas running through my head. I just couldn’t focus. I did the usual process, at least for me, let my mind wander until my thoughts finally focused on Jesus. Sometimes it takes a few minutes, other times much longer. The point is that when God finally gets my attention, the words become clear, and I know they are right. My inspiration from God was to focus on Jesus. Amen for that! That’s right: my word for today is FOCUS! No, I am not speaking of the make of car named Focus, made by Ford. Nor am I speaking of some other acronym pertaining to focus, but I am speaking of focusing our thoughts, our lives, our minds, our hearts on Jesus. I was inspired by looking at the situation in the world around us. The turmoil in our church, in our community, our younger generation, not to mention the world of politics, government and the laws of this country, and of social media. I recently read an article about a song by Bono and the group U2. The song mentioned, “But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.” Kind of depressing words. As Christians, “Have we found what we are looking for?” Makes one think — just what are we looking for? Is it looking for things of the world, or is it looking for spiritual strength, the eternal light of glory, salvation? I am praying that we have found what we are looking for in the Word of God. Jerimiah 33:3 states, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Sometimes, when we focus on other things — things of this world — our thoughts go down a slippery slope. don’t they? Bad thoughts and actions can take over. Question? Do we focus on Jesus the first thing in the morning, and or is He our last thought at night? Focus. Why focus on Jesus? The Word of God? There are many reasons to focus, you know, turn your eyes to Jesus. The benefits are many and I will share a few. One reason is that you will find true peace and happiness in discovering the love of Jesus. Turn to Galatians 5:22-23. You know this as the fruit of the Spirit! When we learn the fruits of the Spirit and as we become focused on Jesus, we are to practice – exhibit – each of these fruits. To be more like Jesus. Then is when peace and happiness will happen. Reason #2: You can develop a closer relationship with God! There is no one else we can, or should, share our thoughts, our heart’s desires with, other than Jesus. When we share our thoughts, our concerns to Jesus, He already knows our heart. I refer to Psalm 3. I was going to pick out a few select verses from Psalm 3 but if you read them all, you will grasp just what God does, and can, do for you. The third reason is very important, so here it is: The plan God has for you, each of us, becomes clearer. In Jerimiah:29:11, hear these words, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, ”plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” How great is that! I am not always sure just what God’s plan is for me; but I do know that because God is guiding me, I am where I am supposed to be and what God will have me say. And all of this can happen if we focus our thoughts on Him. Yet another benefit is that we can learn to trust God more, as in Psalm 37:5, “Commit your ways to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this.” Most of us learned early in our lives the words to “Trust and Obey.” I know that when we do those two things, it pleases God, and we will be happy too. There are more benefits, such as we can better resist temptation! We can handle difficult situations, and we can have a more positive outlook on life. I am reminded of this Scripture in Philippians 4:8. It states. “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.” And this passage ends with, “And the God of peace will be with you.” Is there any better reason to focus on Jesus? Adding a few more reasons to focus on God: When we focus on God, we are more likely to obey God’s commands. In Deuteronomy 11:1 it reads, “Love the Lord your God and keep His requirements, His decrees, His laws, His commands always.” Says it very clearly, don’t you think — obey His Word. When we begin to focus on God, we will become better witnesses for Christ. To me it seems that focusing on Jesus is the only thing that makes sense. Why wouldn’t we go to Jesus for absolutely everything? I find this to be true in my own life. And I am sure each of you has a witness, an experience to share, of how following and focusing on God’s Word has changed and influenced your life! We all need to share these messages with one another and be confident in the fact that when God is at the heart of your talk, all will be okay. If we witness to others, we will be doing the work of what is required of us in the Great Commission, Matthew 28:19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” When we focus on Jesus, this will happen. One of the last benefits of focusing on Jesus is this: We will receive God’s blessings. Philippians 4: 19 says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Jesus Christ.” As I look at this congregation, I see so many blessings! Probably most of us don’t realize them, but God does supply all your needs! Not your wants, but your needs. There are many more reasons to focus, benefits of following God’s Word, and I have only touched on a few of them. My point is this: No matter what is happening in your life, with God guiding you, being there as a source of strength , your Rock , you can always count on Him. We need to be intentional of where we are seeking help and guidance. So, to answer the question asked in the song mentioned in the beginning, I have found the answer to what I am looking for! It’s all right here in the Word of God, As I close my message for today, God has blessed me with the ability to share the Word with all of you. You might think that I don’t need to practice these words – quite the opposite. I struggle each day with all the same things you do. No one is exempt from trials, hardships, sickness, difficulties, upheavals, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual issues. We all have them. When any of these issues arise, we need to focus our thoughts, prayers and turn our eyes to Jesus. Be intentional as to where our thoughts are going. Only then will our vision become clear. Our focus will be set on the right path. This makes me think of the line in “Amazing Grace,” “… was blind but now I see.” In this time allowed to me to share a message, I have become aware of the little things in life I can use and maybe you can also, to help re-adjust our focus, fine tune the lenses, so to speak. Things such as the many songs of inspiration, older hymns, new Christian music, prayers, devotionals, fellowship gatherings, community works. Try opening and reading the Bible, the Word of God, memorize Scriptures, learn a few of them. If reading isn’t your thing, find an avenue that can give you the Word of God. Online devotionals, radio and TV ministries. As I have mentioned in many of my messages, “but first pray.” All these ideas help bring the focus on Jesus to the forefront of our thoughts. Does it help focus on Jesus for you, too? If we get right with God, we can all be focused on Jesus! Amen. Rosalie Cook I have been blessed with the privilege to speak and share my God inspired messages with you this past 12 months. I want to thank you all for the encouragement and prayers given to me. I truly feel loved by all of you in one way or another. This community of faithful friends has made my task so much easier. THANK YOU! God Bless you all, Rosalie