Don't Let The World Distract You - Keep Your Eye On The Ball

My Utmost For His Highest

Look to Me, and be saved… —Isaiah 45:22

{CHAMBERS} “Do we expect God to come to us with His blessings and save us? He says, “Look to Me, and be saved….” The greatest difficulty spiritually is to concentrate on God, and His blessings are what make it so difficult. Troubles almost always make us look to God, but His blessings tend to divert our attention elsewhere. The basic lesson of the Sermon on the Mount is to narrow all your interests until your mind, heart, and body are focused on Jesus Christ. “Look to Me….”  […] We will find what we are looking for if we will concentrate on Him. […]  Build your hope on Him. No matter how many things seem to be pressing in on you, be determined to push them aside and look to Him. “Look to Me….””

{ELGIN}  There are many things – distractions in this life that would draw our attention, trust and devotion away from God.  It requires a deliberate effort on our part to keep our focus.  I was thinking about a batter in a baseball game.  People are yelling at the batter .. opponents and fans trying to distract him so he will miss the ball and be called out.  They want to keep him from accomplishing his purpose which is – of course – to hit the ball and score a run.  Life is like that for a Christian.  The world is constantly vying for our attention.  Stop looking to God and trust yourself .. make your own way .. achieve righteousness through your own effort and not by faith and devotion to God.  It’s natural for us to be distracted by the things of this world.  To trust ourselves.  To make our own way.  But …. If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation .. old things are passed away .. all things are becoming new … (2 Corinthians 5:17) We are being shaped into the image of Christ.  (Romans 8:29) Just like the baseball player, we must fix our eyes on the “ball” – our faith in Jesus.  “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer 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.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)