Look Where You're Going!
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25 Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. 26 Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. 27 Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust.
LOOK WHERE YOU’RE GOING |
We are on week 5 of our exploration of Proverbs to see what it says about staying on the right path.
THE BOOK IS FILLED with nuggets of wisdom:
Solomon writes about following the way of wisdom:
9 You will understand what is right and honest and fair. You will understand the right way to live.
, he talks about following the way of wisdom: Then you will understand what is right and just and fair – every good path.
: In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.
6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
: In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.
In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.
26 Make level paths for your feet to walk on. Only go on ways that are firm.
, Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.
8 The prudent understand where they are going, but fools deceive themselves.
Prov 14:
12 There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.
Prov 14:
If you’ve been with us for all or most of the series, you know that the principles that are true in geography are equally true in all of life. Those principles are:
If you’ve been with us for all or most of the series, you know the principle Solomon teaches is true: Your direction, not your intentions, determine your destination.
We’ve reviewed the main Principle of the book: Your direction, not your intentions, determine your destination.
Solomon adds to that truth by reminding us: Your FOCUS determines whether or not you stay on the right path!
ILLUSTRATION
Not long ago, nearly every State in the U.S. passed laws prohibiting people from talking on cellphones without some sort of hands-free device. Research proved if a person is staring at their phone, giving more attention to it than to the road, there’s a good chance they’ll steer themselves OFF the road or into someone else on the road.
A few weeks ago; I was riding my bike and person riding their bike with earphones in their ears, staring at their phone, came off a side-path and I slid sideways to avoid a collision—they NEVER HEARD ME OR SAW ME and continued down the road oblivious of the near accident.
FACT: What you give your attention too, will not determine if you stay on the road, but it prevent you from getting harmed!
Mankind has known this fact for thousands of years. Solomon taught it 3,000 years ago in the book of Proverbs. He wrote:
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead. Keep looking right in front of you. 26 Make level paths for your feet to walk on. Only go on ways that are firm. 27 Don’t turn to the right or left. Keep your feet from the path of evil.
Solomon emphasizes the truth, “Our destination is determined by our direction, and our direction is dictated by whatever HOLDS our attention—our FOCUS!”
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. 26 Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. 27 Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
In other words, “Our destination is determined by our direction, and our direction is dictated by whatever holds our attention—our FOCUS!”
I have noticed, when I am focused, I easily get things done and I am constantly evaluating my progress; and, when I am not focused, I am easily captured by something that diverts me from my goal.
The truth is, Whatever CAPTURES my attention influences my direction!
Author Andy Stanley writes:
All of us have people or events or opportunities in our past that captured our attention. Many led us astray. There are people you wish you had never met. Relationships you wish you’d never initiated. Numbers you wish you’d never called. Voicemails you wish you’d never acknowledged. Business “opportunities” you wish you had ignored.
In reflection, life was better before these things grabbed our attention. And looking back, we wished we would have stayed on the same path. But we didn’t. And what captured our attention altered our direction and brought results we still regret.
Solomon reminds us:
27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
Solomon reminds us: Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
“Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”
“Do not swerve…” Implies WE HAVE A CHOICE! We can CHOOSE what we give attention too!
What is Solomon telling us? The implication is we get to CHOOSE, DECIDE which path to take!
When we make the right choice, we often discover it it is NOT A HEART CHOICE! IT’S A CHOICE OF INTENTIONAL DELIBERATION made after seeking the counsel of many advisors!
When we make a wrong choice, it is OFTEN AN EMOTIONAL DECISION driven by a HEART NOT IN SYNC with God!
When we make the right choice, we discover it often NOT A HEART CHOICE. It’s a choice of INTENTIONAL DELIBERATION made after seeking the counsel of many advisors!When we make a wrong choice, it is an EMOTIONAL DECISION driven by a HEART NOT IN SYNC with God!
Remember what Jeremiah said?
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
“The heart is exceedingly deceitful and wicked…!”
The heart-felt emotions we have, often take us off-track! We get captured by something powerful and it engages us, and takes us away from our goal.
What does Solomon say?
25 Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
25 Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. 26 Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. 27 Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.
Emotions often take us off-track—we get grabbed by something that is powerful and it engages us away from our goal.
SOLOMON reminds us to MARK OUT a straight path, choose your direction, FOCUS!
Make a choice. Choose which direction you will go, and then fix your gaze directly on it!
What you give your attention to determines your direction. And the direction you head in determines your destination.
What you give your attention to determines your direction. And the direction you head in determines your destination. I want to ask you a question: what has your attention these days? Is it a relationship? A career? A hobby? Is it a person who is leading you somewhere you don’t really want to go? Is it your marriage? Your children? Your faith? Is it an achievement you’re hoping to accomplish soon?What has your attention? Here’s a second question: What do you WANT to have your attention? If you could only fix your eyes on one thing, what would it be?
Five weeks into this series, I want to make a suggestion to you. The Apostle Paul described his approach to life this way:
Choose which direction you will go! Fix your gaze directly on it!
REMEMBER, YOUR FOCUS KEEPS YOU ON THE PATH TO YOUR DESTINATION!
What you give your attention too, determines your direction.
Let me ask you a question: What are focused on these days? What has your attention?
Is it a relationship?
A career?
A hobby?
Is it a person who is leading you somewhere you don’t really want to go?
Is it your marriage?
Your children?
Your faith?
Is it an achievement you’re hoping to accomplish soon?
What has your attention?
Here’s a second question: What do you WANT to have your attention?
If you could only fix your eyes on one thing, what would it be? Where would your focus take you?
Five weeks into this series, I want to make a suggestion to you
Five weeks into this series, I want to make a suggestion to you
The Apostle Paul described it this way: “Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” ().
13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
“Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” ().
He follows that up by saying, “All of us who are mature should take such a view of things” ().
He follows that up by saying, “All of us who are mature should take such a view of things” ().
DID YOU KNOW, nearly every book of the Bible describes the focused life in some way!
The author of the book of Hebrews says, “We must pay more careful attention, therefore to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away” ().
We must pay more careful attention, therefore to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away ().
1 It’s crucial that we keep a firm grip on what we’ve heard so that we don’t drift off.
We all know people who drifted off! It happened because they lost their focus. They followed something other than God and wound up drifting away from God.
Some of you here today drifted away from the faith for awhile and you wonder how that happened. It happened because of the principle of attention. Your eyes, your attention, followed something other than God and you wound up drifting away from God.
Some of you here today drifted away from the faith for awhile and you wonder how that happened. It happened because of the principle of attention. Your eyes, your attention, followed something other than God and you wound up drifting away from God.
Some of you here today drifted away from the faith for awhile and you wonder how that happened. It happened because of the principle of attention. Your eyes, your attention, followed something other than God and you wound up drifting away from God.
Some people allow others to determine their path and destination—they get hurt or upset, then choose to quit coming to Chapel. Some quit the Christian Life because God didn’t perform as they demanded! Some ignore One True God and and seek after their own gods, and live life on their own terms.
Some people allow others to determine their path and destination—they get hurt or upset, then choose to quit coming to Chapel. Some quit the Christian Life because God didn’t perform as they demanded!
DON’T BE ONE OF THOSE—Proverbs calls them “fools”!
Harper’s Bible Dictionary Fool, Foolishness, Folly
A fool is one who, either by ignorance or by deliberate and calculated premeditation, follows a lifestyle or commits specific acts that are detrimental for the person or for society.
Be strong, be courageous, stand up for what is right, and never let someone else determine your path! Don’t let someone else , or some problem or tragedy keep you from walking the path to God!
Paul says,
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
2 Let us keep looking to Jesus. He is the author of faith. He also makes it perfect. He paid no attention to the shame of the cross. He suffered there because of the joy he was looking forward to. Then he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 He put up with attacks from sinners. So think about him. Then you won’t get tired. You won’t lose hope.
Heb
Heb 12:1-3
I like that phrase, “Let us keep looking to Jesus...” — It means do not swerve right or left. Do not let your eyes wander!
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart ().
I like that phrase, “keep looking to Jesus...” – Don’t swerve to the right or left. Don’t let your eyes wander. This is my suggestion for you: Don’t let your heart or your attention be captured by lesser things, focus your attention on Jesus, on following Him, getting to know Him better, serving Him fully, becoming like Him more and more every day.
This is my suggestion for you: Don’t let your heart or your attention be captured by lesser things, FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION ON JESUS! Follow Him, get to know Him better, serve Him fully, become like Him more and more every day!
ILLUSTRATION/SONG
In the early days of Christianity, when persecutions were just beginning, an unknown saint wrote a song that described the path that Jesus took to provide salvation for us. The song is found in (Open your Bibles to the passage]
The song went like this:
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus, being in very nature God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death –
even death on a cross!
SING THE SONG and CLOSE
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Tell them: Now we are going to take some time to reflect. I would like to assume a position of prayer.
That means get as comfortable as you want so you can talk too and hear God...
This song was written reflecting on the ancient hymn in sat Friday evening reflecting on this passage and asked God to provide music that captures the spirit of the hymn. I do not know what the ancient melody was, I only know what I heard as I talked to God.
Please listen in an attitude of prayer.
[SONG]
One day every person will bow their knee before Jesus! No matter where their path has taken them.
On that day, some will be in heaven and on earth—but some will be under the earth. They’ll bow as well!
But I would stake my life on this statement, “I am sure NO ONE here today wants to pursue a path that leads to, ‘under the earth!’”
Remember a few weeks ago when we learned, “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.”
Here’s a danger I hope you see: If you pursue anything less than Jesus, you may end up bowing your knee before him from a destination you never wanted to arrive at!
Which is why says, “Let us keep looking to Jesus.” He’s the path to heaven, the path to fulfillment, the path to purpose, the path to where you want to go.
Jesus was very clear when He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” () He said. “I am the way/path. Follow me!”
He said. “I am the way/path. Follow me!”
Remember, whatever you FOCUS on, is where you will go! Direction determines destination! Be sure you are headed where you want to wind up!
You can follow Jesus or you can follow something less. You can let your attention be grabbed by something that feels good for a moment, or you can focus your attention on the One who will direct you all the days of your life and on into eternity.
Some of you decided to follow Jesus a long time ago, and then you allowed something to capture attention.
Some of you sit on the line and refuse to make a choice. Don’t you think it’s time to correct your course?