WORSHIP
IS FOCUSING MY ATTENTION ON GOD.
"Steve - you've got too much noise in your life!" That's what my good friend, Frank Cate used
to tell me. And he was right. Unless we take time to stop, be still, and
meditate, which simply means to be still and think about God, we can't hear Him
because of the noisy activity of our lives. That's why daily quiet time and devotional time is so important for all
of us. In order to focus on God, we must
take time to be still and worship Him. Jesus
gave us the number one instruction for life when He said, And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul,
all your mind, and all your strength.' Mark 12:30 (NLT) In other words, God's number one command is
that we focus on Him.
In speaking about this focus, David says this in the 139th
Psalm:
O Lord,
you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I'm far
away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. Psalms 139:1-3 (NLT)
In other words, God is focused on you, always. Now read what God taught us through the
Apostle Paul in the book of Romans about the danger of focusing on self instead
of God:
Focusing on the self is the
opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God,
ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and
what he is doing. Romans 8:7 (MSG)
As you focus
on these passages, (read the entire 139th Psalm) allow God to teach
you the importance of His focus and yours as you answer the following
questions.
1. Is working and
bringing home a check without any attention to the family an adequate
expression of love?
2. What does Psalms
139:3 teach us about God's attention to detail in our lives?
3. What does Romans
8:7 what will be the result of focusing on ourselves?
4. Read Matthew 6:6
and write down what God says we are to do every day. I'm including the Message paraphrase for you
here:
"Here's
what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to
role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage.
The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.
Matthew 6:6 (MSG)
5. Why is it we don't
sense God's grace more than we do? (Matthew 6:6)
Commit right now to continue to experience God's grace as
you set aside a time every day to worship God and focus on Him through prayer
and His Word.
Share it:
Want to share this study with someone you know? Forward to a friend by clicking the link.
got
questions
?
Feel free to click on my email below and I will get back with you ASAP.
Thanks!
Pastor Steve
|
