What Should Be Our Focus?
What should be our focus? All of you reading this blog site can answer this anyway you want but for me the answer is clearly a focus on others, NOT on God or ourselves. People who focus on God or themselves (often christians) are always talking about their love of God and what they have done to prove it in such a way that makes others feel like they are inadequate because they don’t see life the same way. The religious people of Christ’s day wanted everyone to know how much they loved God and they showed it by how religious they were. That mindframe always leads to judgement and condemnation of others. How many have been killed in the name of someone’s so called love of God and their dedication to being righteous before him?
In the same way those who focus on themselves will never find the satisfaction they are looking for either. They might gather great barns and have their fill of all the pleasures of this world but they will always be left empty.
On the other hand show me a person who focuses on others and I will show you a person who is at peace. In my 55 years I have never yet met a person like this who didn’t have a aura around them that made you ask yourself just what was different about them.
We were created to be creatures who CARE. When we focus on others we enter into the environment we were intended to live in. All of my life when I focused on the needs of those around me I always felt like I was fulfilling my purpose in being here.
I have to be honest and say when I hear people talk about their love of the Lord it makes me sick to my stomach. God doesn’t have an ego that needs propping up.
The apostle John said: "How can you say you love God whom you have not seen if you don’t love your brother whom you have seen?"
Focusing on others is not easy but what makes it easier is experiencing the rewards of your focus. If you do it for any reason other then how it makes you feel you’ll never know the rewards. Choose this focus because it fulfills who you are inside, not to get kudos from God or men.
What would our world be like if we took religion completely out of it and waved a magic wand that actually caused people to CARE? Don’t you think God would be pleased?
Stay tuned to the practical side of this post NEXT.
Cliff this is so true when I was in the church I was always trying to prove my love for God and that is what I was taught and when someone was not doing the samething I would judge them.
Now that I am free and know He truly loves me I am free to love and help others.
Love in Christ Dan
Hi Cliff i know wee you are comming from in this post but i can’t understand why you said this in your post.
I have to be honest and say when I hear people talk about their love of the Lord it makes me sick to my stomach. God doesn’t have an ego that needs propping up.
When i found out that God our father had indeed redeemed all his creation.It was then that i could honestly say,i loved him because he first loved me and gave himself for me.It caused me to love all my fellow human beings and know that he freed us to love one another as he loves us,”unconditionally”
I also know it is hard to love someone who has set out to hurt people.But when that person sees the love of God in christ i know he will repent(Change his mind) for that person was me.Thats why i can say i love the Lord, for i know that the same love that was extended to me is extended to the whole of humanity. I was enabled to change my mind and so can anyone else no matter who they are or what they have done.The message of grace and peace frees the wounded soul and establishs the heart with grace.We are ministers of reconcilition every one of us.That is our message birthed in our hearts by the spirit of grace.
I look forward to reading the next post cliff.
thankyou my friend,
kenneth.
I think I understand why he said that Kenneth. Forgive me if I am wrong, but I get that same feeling when people have to shout out their love for the Lord. We don’t need to boast on how much we love the lord. He knows already. What we should be doing is caring about others and being there for them when they need a shoulder. We do not have to lecture them or give them advice, but just simply BE. Lend them an EAR. Not a lecture.
Shouting out how much we love the lord feels as if we are bragging and for who? Each other? God can hear us in our thoughts. I don’t need to shout…he can hear me. Religion is like trying to drive the best vehicle out there because it proves our status in society. I don’t need to proclaim, profess, shout or prove anything. When others do it makes me sick to my stomach. Maybe even sad that they feel others need to know their love for the Lord. It makes me feel like they need to prove something to me and they don’t because I know the Lord loves them no matter what.
Well said Mindy, you spoke my heart.
I tend to think that when we realize that we are one with the universe, and that we are ALL one with the universe, there is no reason NOT to love. Problem is… religion, even the Christian religion, causes us to look at our differences rather than embrace our commonalities.
I guess I’m a bit baffled along with Kenneth as to why it is wrong to say we love the Lord. I certainly don’t do it to build up His ego or mine. I love Him because He first loved me and when I realize just how much He loves me by simply looking at what He did on the cross on behalf of all mankind, then I find it difficult to understand why anyone would say we should not express this love back to Him. I don’t shout it out nor do I do it to prove to anyone else as to my “status” or anything else. I just love Him. I love my wife and she knows it, however I still tell her I do.
Bruce said….all one with the universe. I am not sure what this means. Do you mean mankind when you say universe? That was “baffle No. 2 for me.
Universe = God’s creation
God’s creation = God
(God in His creation, His creation in Him)
Just a personal way of seeing things for me.
Hi Mindy thankyou for your reply.May i say,when a person recieves the knowledge of the completed work of the cross.That person can’t help but say they love the Lord.I know there are people who can get in your face and put their love over to another person as if that other person does not love the Lord in the same way.But maybe that person has not heard the truth and can’t really say they love the Lord because they simply don’t know him.
I know myself that i looked down on unbelievers for their lack of love for the Lord as i seen it throught my religious upbringing.But i did it in ignorance.I lacked wisdom from God because i was hearing a false Gospel.But once i heard the truth,i repented,(Changed my mind) of all that judgement of others for whom christ tasted of death for.heb,2v9.I never get sick to my stomach of hearing someone say that they love the Lord.For in their own mind and heart how can i judge them or their love for him?.I was one of them mindy,yes right in your face,every chance i got.Selfrighteousness is not nice.
We can have a confidence that only comes from hearing and understanding the true Gospel.Were we know we don’t have to prove anything as you have more or lest said,But remember we stood in them same shoes at one time as these dear people you have mentioned here, well at lest i did.
This is just the way i see it mindy, thankyou again for your reply.
kenneth.
I thank God that His love never stops and nothing can change it.It is never ending it is the very foundation of this universe.Paul pray for peoples hearts and minds to be open to this awesome truth.
I just thank God I have a place to go to share with others in the wonderful gospel of love and grace.
Love in Christ Dan
Although I have never commented here. I have been reading several articles, and I would like to say thanks for writing about God’s unconditional grace. It’s always great to find fellow believers in this bold hope of God’s grace.
Thanks for stopping by Chris. There are alot of great folks here who truly understand God is not only in control but also is perfect in his love for us all.
Let me clarify one thing and that is that what makes me sick is the action…not the person. I don’t want to ever look down on anyone. To each their own. It took me a long time to get that, but I feel like I have finally gotten there.
Whenever I have “felt the Lord” it has always been a kind of private thing and it is a feeling that I can’t explain. Maybe others, even those who aren’t holy rollers, feel like professing their love for him or the truth, but for me that overwhelming and inspiring feeling has always been released by me through actions which has been sharing my love. Those actions for me have been to call up my friends and just say I love them or I want to call my family and tell them how much I miss and love them. Sometimes it is just looking out at the sky and having a good cry because everything looks soo incredibly beautiful and I am just feeling soo blessed. I want to give. What I do not want to do is boast. I don’t want to go and shout to the world how much I love the Lord. I know we are all different. I know we all experience the truth in a different way but to me boasting about it is useless. Sharing it through love is I what I believe the Lord is inspired by.
Thankyou again for sharing your heart mindy.For i know it is established in the grace of God.
Peace and joy to you always.
kenneth.