Ephesians 5:15-20
One of the many things that impresses me about the ministry of Jesus was His focus. He never lost sight of the reason why He had come. As a matter of fact, at times He was so focused on His mission, that His disciples started to become worried about His physical and even mental well-being. John 4 gives one of these accounts -His disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But He said to them,… “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.
At times, Jesus was so focused on reaching out to lost souls and saving the world that He didn’t want to take the time to sit around and eat. When Peter tried to stop Him, Jesus rebuked him harshly. He refused to lose His focus – to save the world by dying for the world. Wouldn’t it be nice to have that great focus in life? To know exactly what you are here for and to spend a majority of your time and energy on accomplishing that one goal? I would venture to bet that most of us aren’t living with any goals – all we’re trying to do is get by from one day to another – doing our chores and then going to bed at night exhausted. Paul’s encouragement to us today is to get some purpose in our lives – a focus. It’s all about – Staying Focused.
What are we supposed to be focused on? What is our ultimate purpose in life? In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul tells us. Therefore, start looking more carefully at how you walk around, not as unwise but as wise, buying back the time. One main goal in our life is to walk wisely. How do we walk around in a wise manner? Paul said that Christ crucified (is) . . . the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:24). So if I’m going to walk around through this world in a wise manner, I need to look at everything through the cross – under the shadow of the cross.
When I look at life under the shadow of the cross, I have to conscientiously decide whether the paths I am taking will lead me closer to Christ or farther away from Him. For instance, if you were in school and trying to determine what major to pick – you have to ask yourself, “what would be the wise decision? If I take biology or science, chances are I will be inundated with evolution theology and man centered religions. Would this be a wise choice for me to take? Would it take me closer to the cross?” Or, If I’m thinking about dating someone, I have to ask, “Will he or she lead me closer to Christ or farther away from him?” Paul says to look carefully at where you’re walking – don’t just make a decision based on how much money you can make or how much recognition you can get.
