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Watch Your Focus
“Oh, there you are, George. I’ve been looking for you. I have some good news for you. I was talking with the Pastor about our plans for the mission trip to Brazil and he told me that an anonymous donor has donated $500.00 apiece for us towards our expenses. Isn’t God great? That is about what I was short for the airplane ticket.”
“I really hate to disappoint you, Brad, but I’m not going to be able to go.”
“You’re not going! Why?”
“Well, it just seems like everything is going wrong. You know how we have struggled with getting our visas. We’ve written five letters to the embassy and made several phone calls and still no visa. And my girlfriend is pleading with me not to go. She wants me to stay here and spend the summer with her. I’m afraid she will ditch me if I’m not here with her. In addition, I just learned that my aunt has passed away and I need to go to with my family to Portland to the funeral at a time when I am really pressed for time to make the arrangements for the trip. It just feels like the world is caving in on me. I’m so discouraged.”
“I know what you mean. I’ve been dealing with a lot of problems also. I’ve come close to deciding not go either. But then I thought of all that Jesus has gone through for us. I thought about Him leaving His heavenly home to come and be born in a lowly manger knowing that he was headed towards the most cruel and heinous death that anyone has ever suffered. Yet He didn’t have to do it. He could have opted out at anytime. But He never did. He paid the ultimate price for those He loved. What do you suppose kept Him going?”
“Well the Bible says He did it for the joy set before Him.”
“You’re right. He didn’t like strife, pain and humiliation any more than the rest of us. But He had His focus on the new world and the great joy of ruling and reigning there forever where His followers, that He loved so dearly, would never again face pain, trials, death or an of the bad things we have to deal with here. ”
“You know, you got me to thinking. His whole heart and soul was in seeing people saved so they could be there with Him in that new world. And those people in Brazil are precious to Him. He gave His life for them just like He did for me. When I think of it that way my little sacrifices seem so small and insignificant by comparison.”
“It’s really easy to lose sight of the goal, isn’t it?”
“I guess my problem is that I took my eyes off of Jesus. I feel like Peter who walked on the water as long as he was focused on Jesus but then he looked at the waves and began to sink.”
“Isn’t it wonderful that He has promised us that He would never leave us nor forsake us? We can do whatever He leads us to do but only through His strength. I’m glad we had this conversation. It is a reminder to always keep my focus on Him regardless of how rough the terrain becomes and then He will see me through.”
“Amen, brother, I’m with you. Let’s go in Jesus name and lead those Brazilians to the Lord. With Jesus there should be no turning back.”
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