Stay Focused
A friend recently posted that he needs to focus less on how bad he is and more on how great Christ is. I’d never thought about that before but that is a good observation. On the flip side, however, I don’t know if we can truly see how great Christ is until we realize how vile we are.
I love Pilgrim’s Progress as we take a journey with a man who realizes that he is a sinner and on his way to Hell. Unlike the average person who doesn’t seem to care, he is determined to find a way to rid himself of the heavy burden that he carried. Once he meets Evangelist who tells him about the Celestial City and the path that would lead him there, he takes off, ignoring the pleas of his loved ones who desire him to stay.
The first part of the journey is a struggle, as his burden weighs him down, and he cannot get his mind off of it. Eventually he finds himself at the foot of the cross, and it is there that his burden rolls away and he begins to feel free. He still has a long road ahead to the Celestial City, however.
Along the way, he meets all kinds of people. Some are determined to walk the straight and narrow path and some are convinced they can find an easier way to get to the pearly gates. Occasionally, Christian himself veers off the path as he sees how easy it is for others, but God, in His mercy, always brings him back.
The end of the story finds him reaching his destination and, oh, the joy when the doors swing open and he is permitted entrance. Every trial and test and hardship was so worth it! Nothing else mattered for he had made it!
This is a great picture of what every Believer goes through. In some ways, I think it’s harder for those who are raised in church than those who were saved from a life of sin. Those who remember that moment when their burden rolled away know what they have been saved from. Others can easily forget.
I was raised in church, but I still remember when God began to change our family. We went from being church goers to learning how to have a relationship with the Almighty God. My mom took a stand and declared with Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” From then on, everything that didn’t please God was removed from our lives. Sure, there have been bumps along the way. There are still times when I get in a rut and allow myself to get busy with things that take precedent over close fellowship with Him but I’m thankful that He doesn’t leave me there. It doesn’t take long for me to miss His closeness, and I run back into His arms.
I guess this is the long way of trying to encourage you not to despair. If you have a hard time looking past your failures and shortcomings, repent of those things and know that, if you truly want to be rid of them, your Savior will help you. He will not leave you as you are but He will be able to use you mightily for His Kingdom because you will have no doubt that you cannot do anything good without Him.
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