Don't Sell Yourself Short

C.S. Lewis once said "The man who is most effective in this world is the man who is the most focused on the next."

How true a statement, yet I think we have missed that path in many ways. Please don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that people aren't focused on Heaven, and if you are focused on Heaven, I commend you.

I am only trying to make the point, that for many of us, myself often included, we have allowed our focus to be pulled down to this world. When we think of being pulled down by the world, our brains automatically think of sin. We think of the things in the world that want to pull us away from God. What we rarely think of are the things that are good, but not intended to be our focus and ultimate goal.

I find myself often getting caught up in serving, and all of the things that our Christian culture has around us today. Serving isn't bad, Bible studies aren't bad, reading isn't bad. However when we replace our goal of being face to face with Jesus with those things, they can become idols just like anything else. When our goal is to have a good ministry, or to read the next Christian book, we sell ourselves short.

God has offered us Himself, and not just from a distance, but in an up close and personal way. We can approach the throne of grace boldly.

Why should we trade God for anything of this world, even the aspects of life that pertain to His Kingdom.

When our focus shifts from Christ, to the world around us, we burn out. We live in a dying and hopeless world. Christ is the only hope for the world around us. If our focus isn't on Him, this world will steal our hope.

You might be asking the question, "Don't we still need to be concerned with those things?"

Yes, we do need to be concerned with them. Our ministries, the areas that we serve God in, and the different things that we do (that aren't sin) are still good things to do.

The issue isn't as much of what we are doing, as where our focus is. When our focus is on this world, it breaks us down. When our focus is on Christ, He compels us to serve, and His power enables us to serve excellently.

1 Corinthians 13 says that now we see dimly, but then it will be face to face. We will be united with God, and worship the One who gave it all for us. That is our hope and goal. Don't settle for a goal that this world can satisfy.