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Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

At this writing, I am undergoing very

aggressive therapy for a recent total knee replacement surgery. One of the exercises necessary for strengthening my knee is to stand on my operative leg, balancing myself on something called the dyno-disc. Since standing on the one leg on a flat surface is no easy task, you can imagine that the dyno-disc is even more of a challenge! In the process of doing these stands, I have learned that I can keep my balance for longer time durations if I focus on one specific thing. Therefore, I set my eyes on one particular object and I am able to balance myself on the dyno-disc for up to 55 seconds. Not only is visual focus important, but also mental focus. In order to succeed at this exercise, I must discipline myself to be mentally and visually focused, even if it means ignoring someone who wants to talk to me while I am doing the dyno-disc.

How true this is for our spiritual concentration. Focus is of utmost importance if we are to have a successful Christian walk. I am reminded of the scripture in Hebrews 12:2 which commands us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. But what is it about Jesus that we must make our focal point? Well, we are to imitate Jesus as He focused on the joy that was set before Him and not on the pain and shame of the cross. He focused on the resurrection rather than the crucifixion. He set His mind on His exaltation and not on His humiliation. His heart was set on pleasing the Father rather than pleasing Himself. Satan tried repeatedly to distract Him and to keep Him from accomplishing His Father's will, but Jesus, with a face like flint, stayed balanced on His "dyno-disc", and absolutely no one or nothing could make Him fall off! May we keep our eyes on the One who can keep us from falling as we seek to do our heavenly Father's will.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your example of focusing on the things that are eternal. May we learn from you what it means to have tunnel vision as we seek to please God. Equip us with everything good for doing your will, and may that equipment include focusing only on the joy that you have set before us. Amen.

Encouragement Tip:

In keeping with Sharon's challenge to take time out for a spiritual heart cath, schedule time to FOCUS on your relationship to Jesus. A retreat of sorts - overnight, a day, half a day, an hour twice a week....whatever your schedule will allow. Meditate on several scripture passages (Hebrews 12 is a favorite) and ask God to uncover the answers to the following questions:

What is the spiritual health of my heart?
What repentance needs to take place, i.e., what specific sins do I need to put off and what actions should I put in their place?
How can I extend God's mercy and justice to the people in my circle of influence? Be specific in this answer.
In what area of my life do I focus on something or someone other than Jesus?
The purpose of this mini retreat is to consider carefully how you are spending your days and what focus drives your actions. Make it a goal to come away with a specific plan of action in which you intentionally reflect the love of Jesus to others.

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