Locked on Target!!!
Right now…in your life…what are you focussing on!!!
Is it your career, and climbing the ladder of promotions? Is it your family, and trying to have the most ‘perfect’ family situation you can manufacture? Is it your health, and spending copious amounts of time, energy and money on maintaining ‘peak’ fitness and health? Is it trying to obtain the most wealth and influence you can? Or is it your lifestyle, and trying to perpetuate a season of leisure and pleasure for the remainder of your life?
In balance, these things are not bad things….however, if these things stem from the outworking of our own actions, and our own strengths they might actually be the right things for us. And they might not be what God has intended for us.
The question then becomes…has Jesus ever been your focus???
There are several scriptures that talk about, or illustrate, putting our focus on Jesus.
Matthew 14:22-33 is one such scripture. It talks about the time when the disciples were trying to cross the Sea of Galilee, and a great storm rose up and threatened to overwhelm them.
Then Jesus shows up!!!!
But the situation doesn’t immediately get fixed. Rather, things get messier thanks to Peter.
In verses 28-31 it says “Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
There are times when in the midst of our storms we cannot recognise the presence of Jesus, because we have a perception of what Jesus’ presence looks and feels like.
Sometimes our fear drives our faith away, and we fail to see that Jesus is actually there, present in the midst of our storms.
I’m not sure Peter actually knew what he was asking when he asked Jesus to call him out into the water. Peter did obediently follow Jesus’ instruction - however, his obedience did not quieten the storm, nor did it quell the waves. Rather it placed Peter firmly in the midst of the storm and all the natural elements of it.
When Jesus calls us to do something - more often than not, life takes a crazy turn and hardships and struggle comes our way.
The problems really start to hit us when we take our eyes of Jesus. The same was with Peter. Once his focus was on the situation rather than the saviour he began to sink and flounder in the midst of the turmoil of the storm.
But the everlasting love of God is demonstrated yet again, when Peter calls out to Jesus as he is beginning to drown - Jesus not only answers him, but saves him.
But the interesting thing that we often tend to overlook in this story is what Jesus says next - “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” - that statement must have cut Peter to the core. It should also convict us too.
Our lack of faith often makes storms in our lives harder to endure, and may lead us to make the situation worse.
Hebrews 12:1-4 adds “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.”
Sin and our lack of faith is what holds us back from succeeding, and from engaging with our future. They are weights that slow down our progress, and they serve to cause us to stumble.
Our lives, however fleeting they are in the grand-scheme of eternity, are a marathon - this is why we need endurance.
If you run a short sprint race (let’s say a 100m race at the olympics) - you don’t need endurance at all. You need core strength and straight-line speed for a very short period of time (typically around 10 seconds).
However, if you are running a marathon, it can be over many hours (or even days). Your ability to finish is based on your ability to continue running through the pain and discomfort you are experiencing.
Our lives are no different - at different times of our lives, it seems as if the race is easy and smooth, but then other times come and these are a real struggle and you feel as if you cannot possibly go on.
Jesus is there, in the midst of the marathon that is your life. During the easy times and during the times when you think you are about to quit. You just need to look up and focus on him and not your situation - that is how you finish the race. It is by focussing on Jesus that you do not become weary and give up.
Romans 5:3-5 encourages us by saying “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”
What Paul is saying here to the church in Rome, seems counter intuitive to us - especially in this era of emotions-based decision making. But he is telling the believers in Rome that they (and we do too) need to rejoice when we go through struggles and encounter problems in life.
Why do we need to rejoice? Because as we endure hardship we develop endurance. Endurance is not the finished work.
Endurance creates and develops personal character (like resilience), and our refined character then holds close to God’s promises - and so we grow in our faith and uphold our hope in the salvation we receive from our belief in Jesus Christ.
One of the tools that God gives us to help with our endurance and personal development is that of the Holy Spirit. If we are tuned into the Holy Spirit then he will guide us and give us the wisdom to move through our troubles.
There is a multitude of scriptures, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament that refer to enduring hardships, or trials. Endurance marks the life of a believer in Jesus Christ. We should be following Jesus’ example - he endured till the bitter end - even to his death. If we endure, then our reward for finishing our race is to be in eternity with him.
I pray that if you are facing really turbulent times in your life that you keep your eyes on Jesus, and he will answer you. Look for him in your storm, and he will help you endure.