What is Our Focus

 DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

WHAT IS OUR FOCUS?

1 Cor 7:29-31

29 What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

NIV

Can we become so engrossed in our physical life that we forfeit any effort toward our spiritual life? Oh sure we attend church on Sunday and say all the right words, but is that just a part of our physical life as well? Men are surely not to ignore their wives for that would be so against all the rest of God’s Word, but the point here is all about being so physically concerned and so not spiritually concerned. We are not citizens of this world, but citizens of the Kingdom of God, and as such we are His ambassadors to this world, here with diplomatic powers to speak for or on behalf of our Sovereign offering His peace treaty with those who war against Him. We should not be about mourning over losses here on earth, nor should be we finding happiness in the things of this world. We cannot consider anything we have as being ours for all of this kind of thinking leads to wanting to be a part of this world rather than being a part of the Kingdom of God. Sure we have this stuff for a little while but in all reality, there simply is no trailer hitch on a hearse. We are not going to take anything from this world with us on our journey across the bridge of death into eternal life. Everything we experience or have here will vanish in the light of His wonderful face. The songwriter uses the words, “strangely dim” but vanish is a more appropriate explanation for what is about to happen. Do we have the blessings of God to have and to hold our spouses until death do we part? Yes. Do we have the blessings of God to enjoy all the material things provided by His hand? Yes. Can we enjoy all the experiences He leads us in? Yes. But we are not to get so engaged, so engrossed in all of this that we do not remember what it is all about. God is not there to benefit us, but we are here to benefit Him. All we are, all we have, all we know, and all we do is supposed to be able to benefit the Kingdom of God. What is the center of our focus, this world or God? What is our focus?