The
LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward
appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7 NIV
Every one of us, all of us, no matter who we are, no exceptions, need major adjustments. So, what are some of the adjustments we’re going to have to make? In what ways do we need to change? There’s at least four major adjustments that God wants all of us to make in our lives, no matter what our background, no matter if we’re religious or not.
First, God Wants to Adjust the
Place we Put Our Focus: Paul had to admit, the very first thing, that what
he had been giving his life to was wrong. It seemed right to him. The religious
leaders of that day told him it was right.
But it was just plain wrong.
When Jesus busted Paul, on the road
to Damascus, He said, “Saul, Saul why
do you persecute me?” Paul found out that what he had been doing to
try to serve God was actually sin against God. He was trying so hard to serve
God, that he totally missed God. And so Paul had to confess that what he had
been doing was sin and had to turn away from it. I believe that some of us are trying so hard
to serve God, that we miss him too.
We’re so wrapped up in the
externals, in doing the things a Christian is supposed to do, and looking like
a Christian is supposed to look, that we miss what God wants to do in our
lives, on the inside, where almost nobody sees.
We need to change our focus.
Because God doesn’t look at externals, he looks at your heart.
There came a point in my life many
years ago, when I realized that I looked like a great Christian on the outside,
I taught Bible studies, I was a leader in the church, but I hadn’t allowed God
to change the inside, the part that nobody saw.
I hadn’t allowed him to transform my relationships, and make me more
loving, and more patient, and more humble.
I thought I was serving God, I was working hard, but I needed to repent
and let him make some big adjustments in my life. How about you? What have you been focusing on? Has God been changing you from the inside
out?
Second, God Wants to
Adjust the Way We Use Our Time and Energy: Now Paul had been plenty busy.
He had been busy pursuing Christians, trying to get them to be religious by his
definition. He was busy getting warrants
for their arrest He was busy, busy, busy all the time, like many of us are. But
when God hit him with a 2x4, Paul had to make a major adjustment. His adjustment wasn’t in how much energy he
spent. His adjustment was in where he
spent it!
We’re all busy people. We’ve all
got full schedules. We are on the go, ripping and running, all the time. But what are we spending our energy for? Where does our time go? Are you so busy all
the time that you don’t have time to spend with God? Some of us need to make
major adjustments, in our time and energy.
The way you spend your time and energy is an investment. What are you investing in? Are you draining your time and energy bank
accounts on things that are not significant in the realm of the eternal? Do these things fall in the category of things above? Not of this world? What are
we focusing on? What are we spending
time and energy doing every day? Is it
making you a better person, a better Christian? It is definitely worth
considering and making some important life adjustments.
Scripture to Claim:
Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. Colossians 3:2
