Do you
see what this means--all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans
cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start
running--and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your
eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did
it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed--that exhilarating finish
in and with God--he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame,
whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.
Hebrews 12:1-2 (MSG)
We have all probably heard the saying "Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing."
It’s a neat saying but if you don’t do
what it says it is just a series of words on a page. Gary Smalley says that to stay focused, we must know
our Master, Mission and be sure of our Method to Maintain our purpose.
Know Your Master
To stay focused I have to know who my Master is ... and if
we are fitting into His purpose or plan. Jesus said, No one can serve two masters; for either he
will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise
the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
Matthew 6:24 Whatever we spend our life on
should not distract our heart from the Master. It is so easy to be drawn away with the things
of the world and find ourselves out of fellowship with the Father.
Know Your Mission
What is your mission in life? Is it your personal quest or God's mission? A focused heart is dependent upon how you answer
this. If you answer its "your quest"
then your heart is distracted. Ephesians 2:10
says, For we
are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand that we should walk in them.
Need a mission statement? Here's one ... Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in
the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And
He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust
also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. Psalms 37:3-5 Do you know your mission?
Know Your Method
Do you know your strengths and weaknesses? Are you using
them or abusing them? Better yet are you neglecting them? Romans 12:3 says, For I say, through the grace given to me,
to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought
to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of
faith. God has given each of
us a measure of faith to use our gifts, to exercise our talents and abilities not
for ourselves but for others.
Know Your Maintaining
Rick Warren suggests that "methods" often come and
go leaving us out of touch with others. He
says the best thing to do when your horse is dead is to "dismount!" The way you do something must match the spirit
of what you are doing. Ephesians 4:1-3
says, Therefore
I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the
calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with
patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
To stay focused, we must know our Master, our Mission and be
sure of our Method in order to Maintain our purpose.
Scripture to Claim:
Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for
men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance.
It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. Colossians 3:23-24
