Focusing Our Energies

We only have so much time and energy. As Christians only one area deserves the bulk of those resources.

If you follow this blog, you know that I am concerned about how Christians as individuals and the church at large should be relating to government. Last night as I was scrolling through my Twitter feed, I found an article retweeted by Univision's Jorge Ramos. Written by a South African Journalist, it talked about what the press can expect from a President Trump, and how they should deal with it. This got me thinking once again about my role a Christian in this upcoming presidency. What should I be concerned with, and what should I do?

The Benefit of Focus

 

As I mentioned in my previous post, doing something is much better than doing nothing, but we still need to be intelligent as to how we use our time and energy. Better to put a lot of energy into one area, than to spread yourself too thin. Think of it this way, if you take a sewing needle and push it into a piece of fabric, it doesn't take a lot of force to push it through. When we focus even a small amount of energy into a precise area it can be quite effective. As a parent of small children, I don't have a lot of time to spare, and I would venture a guess that many of you also have some committments that are non-negoitable. So that being said, in what area should we focus our energies?

Where Should We Focus?

 

For me there is only one area that should receive the bulk of my energy, and that is the building up of God's kingdom. Sadly, I have to clarify what I mean by that statement. I say "sadly" because many people are under the dangerous misconception that expanding God's kingdom involves greater political influence. Their goals are to put "Christian" politicans into office and pass laws that enforce their personal beliefs. The Biblical view of God's kingdom tends to be quite different.

The passage in the Scriptures commonly referred to as The Gospel Comission goes as follows,

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)

As a Christian, that is my mandate, and that should be the focal point of my energies. All other goals should either be secondary or non-existent. How do we put that thought into practice? The answer is simpler that you may think.

How Do We Put Our Focus Into Practice?

Jesus told His first disciples, and us, to make people followers of Him, and to teach others what He has taught them. The only way we can truly accomplish those goals for others is to accomplish those goals first for ourselves. To be a follower of Jesus, one must first know Who He is. Where did He focus His attention? What did He do with His time? While there are many good books about Jesus, the best is, of course, the Bible. Begin first with those parts of the Bible that focus on His life and expand from there. With much of the world now turning their attention to the story of His birth, there is no better time than now to start striving for that goal.

So what are you waiting for?