Saturday, March 28, 2020

Refocusing on Christ

Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 30:6-8, Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. 7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”
With the tragic event that David faced when he and his men returned to where they were dwelling, it would have been very difficult to focus on the underlying blessing. He was greatly distressed because of how everyone else reacted to this trial, which put him in their crosshairs. Like the prodigal son, God had to allow David to hit rock bottom and allow him to suffer a trial that was too big for him to tackle using his own human wisdom, planning and scheming. So it is with us that sometimes God has to allow a trial that is far too big for us to resolve of our own accord. What choice does that leave us other than to turn back to Him? As we deal with the current world situation, if we fail to put our focus where it belongs, on Jesus, we will miss the blessings that are right in front of our very eyes. My wife and I took the time to pack some snacks and some water, filled the gas tank and went for a ride. As we drove around, we noticed that there was increased activity in our neighborhood that we had not seen previous to all this. I am talking about the kind of activity that actually brightened the neighborhood. Let me explain. We often enjoy taking walks in our neighborhood, and really enjoy the beauty of where we live. Just down the street we have farms and the neighborhoods are quaint and cozy. However, regardless of what time of the day we walked, the neighborhood was lonely; no one outside, no children playing and virtually a ghost town. As we drove around yesterday and the day before we noticed fathers walking with their sons, fathers were playing in their yards with their daughters, a family (grandma, mom, dad, and children) riding their bicycles in a convoy. For many who have been forced to stay home, it has been a time to rediscover what it means to spend time with family. Some Christians are discovering that they did not need that house that was overpriced or that brand new car they could not afford, because now, for the time being they are without a means of making the same amount of money they have become accustomed to. As tragic as this may sound, it is a reminder that we need to be wiser with our finances and be better stewards of what the Lord was already blessing us with. The promises and comforts the world has to offer are proving to be a major failure in the time of testing. Instead this should be a great reminder that we, as God’s children, need to refocus our attention on what is most important for us, as this is not our home. 1 Peter 2:11-12, “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.” This is a great opportunity for us to really allow our testimony to shine. When the world is in a panic, this is when our godly conduct and attitude needs to shine brightly as ambassadors of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). We must use this time as a reminder of one very important thing we should be looking for…our Lord’s return. In speaking about the end of the age, Jesus said in Mark 13:7-8, “But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.” It is no secret that we are seeing increased activity in respect to natural disasters, famines, and rumors of war. Yet, this is only a glimpse of what is drawing near for mankind. The bottom line here is that as we live through these trying times, we need to be reminded that God wants to use this time to help His children refocus our attention on our Savior. We need to remember that when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in the furnace, God did not pull them out, but walked through it with them (Daniel 3). It is time for us, as born again believers, to stop lamenting the things of the world and refocus our attention on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We need to focus on how we can best serve Him during these tough times and keep looking upward. I will leave us with this reminder from Acts 1:11, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

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