All on the Field: A Good Soldier—Having Focus - Tuesday
2 Timothy 2:3-4
Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. (NLT)
I grew up in a military family with a dad who lived and breathed his role as Command Sergeant Major. He brought discipline home in a tangible way. And discipline tends to bring focus as well. Knowing my dad loved me deeply and wanted good for me helps me as I look back over the years to the times when my adolescent mind saw my dad as more of a dictator. In hindsight, I can see he valued order and deeply desired to share the good of that discipline with me. Hold that thought.
When we meet Jesus, give our lives to Him through belief, and follow Him in obedience through baptism, two things happen. We become part of God’s family, which is pretty thrilling if you ask me. We also discover that we get to be part of ushering in His Kingdom, bringing Heaven to bear in our homes, relationships, and more. The extreme welcome God provides means, as you may recall hearing at Southland before, we don’t have to do anything to earn His attention or affection. We could, in Jon’s words, sit on the end of a dock, dangle our toes in the water, and sip iced tea for the rest of our lives and nothing would change about our acceptance, security, and significance with God. But when I think about the inbreaking Kingdom, there is something more urgent that bubbles up in my spirit. I have this deep desire to be a part of the work God is doing, engaged in the battle for my life and to rescue the lives of others, and that… that takes FOCUS.
God’s enemy, Satan, wants nothing more than to distract us from God’s purpose in our lives and in the world. Which might go a long way toward explaining how easy it seems at times for us to be distracted. The opportunities are plentiful to pursue “self,” ironically to the exclusion of our emotional and physical health. And the chance to ignore the needs of others, in the face of the urgency for the Kingdom to be unleashed in every corner of our life, can be really tempting.
But remember: It was the love of my father that shaped how I now value my formative years. It’s the same with our Heavenly Father. His deep, deep love for us is a motivation and an invitation to live in ways that reflect not only a strong belief that we’re accepted and secure in our relationship with Him, but also the discipline and focus of being part of His kingdom.
Tuesday’s Reflection
Because of God’s deep love, we can rest well and work hard, knowing it’s not about what we do or don’t do… but that our life, thoughts, actions, and more can be lived as a grateful response to all God has done for us.
