There are many principles we follow that make us successful in this world that we can and should be applying to our lives with God. It’s all about the choices we make. At the end of the day, have the choices I made drawn me closer to or farther from God? What motivates us on a daily basis? Until we can understand why we would want to draw closer to God, we can’t fully follow those steps to grow closer to Him.
What does God expect of us? He wants us to be like Him, knowing that, if we are like Him, then we can live in this world without being a product of the world. Romans 12 examines how Christians come together to create something larger than themselves individually. We all respond differently to different situations; we all have different abilities and talents; we all have different roles we can fulfill in His work. He wants us to have the inner character to love as He loves, to be merciful as He is merciful.
Remaining Focused on God
Regardless of the many ways we may be distracted and discourages, we should ultimately be focused on our final goal. Like the gyroscopes of the old Apollo missions that could keep an easily disrupted flight path on target, we should be continually directing ourselves back to the course set before us. James 4:1-10 talks of us continually drawing nearer to God, even when dealing with the problems of this world.
We can focus on our past regrets or on the potential of our future, using that past as a tool with which we can build our future rather than a weapon to tear ourselves down. Galatians 6:7-10 reminds us that we will reap what we sow, but Paul encourages us to avoid growing weary and to keep trying to do what is good. We have to take responsibility for our own paths, but we cannot let the small things add up and build barriers in our way. We can fail many times, but we becomes failures when we begin looking for blame and excuses. We have to continually face those challenges if we are going to find success on the other side.
Small Steps Toward Our Goal
Where do we focus? How do we view our pasts? What happens when we face challenges and discouragements? Those small steps of determination, of purpose, and of direction can give us an edge in following our God. Why do we search Him out? He has already given so much to us. We can determine to draw closer to Him and allow us to lift us up. It just takes small steps – a few second more of prayer every day, another couple chapters of Bible reading.
If we truly believe in the power and salvation in our Lord, then our motivation to follow Him becomes clearer. In Him we can have a goal in mind, and we are all at different points in our spiritual journeys. We should never worry about making our journey slowly; we should only worry if we stop in that walk. We can continue in those small things that can lead to our spiritual success. Like David, in I Samuel 17, we can have confidence in God’s power in our lives, and, no matter how far we go off our course, we can redirect ourselves and resume our Christian walks. We can find time every day to refocus ourselves on God, making small choices that keep our feet directed toward His salvation.
lesson by Donn Koonce
