Articles
The Fire of Focus
The Fire of Focus
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:8). Have you ever burned a leaf with a magnifying glass? So much fun! In fact, one time I set an entire newspaper on fire and it started blowing through the lawn, scorching the grass as it barreled toward the house. If my dad hadn’t frantically stamped it out, we’d be calling State Farm. How did that happen? Simple. The magnifying glass provided focus for the sun’s power. The sun’s rays are scattered, yielding an evenly spread layer of warmth. However, when all those rays are concentrated and redirected by the lens to focus on one spot, you get more than warmth — you get fire!
Sometimes we’re only warm or, as Jesus said, “lukewarm” (Revelation 3:16) in our devotion to God. Focus can fix that. When we’re double-minded, unsure whether we want to serve God or ourselves, there is no fire. When we haven’t cleansed our hands because we’re still flirting with sin on the side, there is no fire. When we’re quintuple-minded, focused on way too many things at once, giving the Lord too much competition for our time and affection, there is no fire. Let’s light the fire of focus! Let’s take the rays of our attention and redirect them to one point: “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” (Matt. 6:33).
