Focusing

Honoring God with my life: to be successful, I must truly focus.  So there are questions which must be asked.   With that in mind, I need to put first things first……What are my desired results and what exactly do I want to accomplish?  Do I trust God as being totally wise; wanting to guide me and lead me to the work he wants me to do?    Are my goals within reason? Do I have measurable goals?  Can I make commitments and follow through?   What guidelines do I follow?  What are my resources? How can I assure accountability?  

As I look over the questions I formed, even as I considered “putting first things first” I wonder about the answers. I heard in a church service some months ago while traveling, “We are accountable for the things we don’t know in the Bible.”  That about scared me to death!  Honestly when you think about it, we have an amazing gift in having the written Word to read, absorb and learn from.  Yet, often the Bible is the last book we choose to read when we have free time, not to mention the perfect place to look for answers!   I confess I am as guilty as the next person with this.   But with this “gift” comes responsibility.  We are to know the contents, which will help in achieving our goals.  That said studying God’s word, to know it in general, book by book and then knowing the specifics should be a priority which requires not only reading and studying, but memorization which I discussed last week. 

But honoring God with my life goes beyond perfecting my faith through Bible reading, studying and memorizing.  I need to honor Him with my mind through understanding which will help me be obedient.  I need to keep my eyes on Him for guidance so I can see the spiritual truths he’s teaching me.  I need to hear him with my ears and my heart which will give me the ability to discern between good and evil.  I need to use the words from my mouth to encourage and speak kindness as I attempt to communicate his love and grace to others.  I must instill a passion within my heart to seek to know him better.  I need to use my hands for Christian service in whatever form it takes.  I need to use good judgment as I fuel my body physically and emotionally through what I read or watch on TV.  I need to honor him in my work, in my recreational activities, with the friends I choose, through my attitude and in my Christian service, despite my weaknesses.

            My point is if I am capable of understanding my goals, give them reasonable thought and necessary planning, with the Grace of God, I believe I can achieve my goals.  Will it be easy?  Not necessarily.  It will require prayer, time, dedication, commitment, perseverance, and accountability which raises another element worth consideration.  I believe accomplishing my goals will be easier if I share my “vision” with someone who will be in prayer for me and encourage me when things go wrong.   Having a support group or even a single prayer partner is invaluable when faced with challenges that seem insurmountable.  But when I face my challenges daily, no matter what they are, with the focus on the Father and the intent to honor Him, how can I lose?

            I challenge you this week to make as specific a list as possible, in as many areas as you can; of the goals you have in your life of ways to honor God.  Choose someone who will partner with you in prayer and encouragement and not judge you when efforts need to be re-calibrated and when failure threatens to discourage you.

            I will share some of my goals with you (in each of the areas I discussed) next week as I conclude this series on honoring God.  Through these writings I discovered specifics about myself which will enable me to create my “personal creed and mission statement” as I identify my values, vision, priorities and acknowledge that God has created me for a special reason.  I pray you can do the same.