Look to Me, and be saved… —Isaiah 45:22
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 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. To stop looking to God and trust in yourself and your culture .. 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 remember….
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
Don't confuse being an American with being a Christian - they are not the same thing. Think of yourself as being part of the scattered Church - the Bride of Christ - who happens to live in the United States. Our primary devotion is to the Creator God. Our determination of right and wrong is founded in scripture - not in the moral values of the country we happen to find ourselves in.
We are being shaped into the image of Christ. (Romans 8:29) But 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
No comments:
Post a Comment