26/08/07

Staying Focused

1 Corinthians 4:1-2
"So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful."

A girl came home from an overnight stay at a friend's house with a latch hook rug she had made. Her friend's mother had taught her how to do latch hook. The process involved attaching pieces of yarn to a plastic grid using a hook. Various colored pieces were placed so that a beautiful picture was evident. Such talent!

Yes, it did take talent, but mostly the picture was the result of following the instructions and the pattern printed on the grid. The better the girl stayed focused on those two things, the better her rug looked.

It's the same with life. The better we follow the instructions and the pattern God has given us, the better our lives will be.

Paul helps us stay focused by reminding us of who we are and what we are to do: we are servants of God who have been entrusted to accomplish the His will and Jesus calls us His associates (John 15:15) therefore gave us all the instruction we need to get the job done. It's so easy to lose that focus if we do not follow the instructions. We typically have an "I" problem. When we look at things with our "I", what God wants is not so clearly seen. It is also hard for an "I" to be a servant. Yet that is exactly what we are-servants who are to be faithful stewards.

Remember that a steward is a manager, not an owner. God entrusts things into our care. What He, the owner, then requires of us, the manager, is that we be faithful. That is the pattern for our lives, the one that we must keep in focus.

Do you have an "I" problem? It really is easy to see how things get out of focus. Ask God to help you stay focused on His pattern, determining to serve as a faithful steward.

[ Reference Scriptures ]

John 15:14-15
14 You are my friends (the Greek word 'Philos' means 'friend' as well as 'associate' and as you see the text Jesus meant 'associates' not 'friends' therefore He gave us the instructions) if you do what I command. 16 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends (associates), for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Matthew 11:27-30
27 "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."


The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others.
(All rights are with God)