Wrong Focus = Wrong Response

By: Adam McClendon
www.newlineministries.com

Marines use M-16 A2 service rifles and in boot camp, each Marine has to demonstrate personal proficiency with this weapon on the firing range from 200, 300, and 500 yards with no scope.  The rifle has an eye sight in the back with a front site post in the front.  Many people when first aiming tend to focus their eyes through the eye sight hole on to the target down range.  As a result, they often end up with a less than impressive result.  Their problem is a focus problem.  They are focused on the wrong object.  Instead, when shooting, you focus on the tip of the front sight post and line that up with the “out of focus” target.  This one tip will often enough fix the problem and bring much better results.

As stated in our July 30^th blog post, Vanities of Vanities, Ecclesiastes is written from a humanistic perspective revealing that life without God is meaningless.  In Ecclesiastes 4:1-16, the wrong focus is presented by examining the life of the lowly (4:1-6), the lonely (4:7-12), and the leader (4:13-16).  Due to the length of the passage, it will not be listed here, but take time to read it when you can and notice one key thing.  What wrong focus does each category of people have in common?

Answer: self!  Each one is focused solely on how life is not working out to their ultimate advantage.  You will notice when you read the passage closely that each person is impacted personally by life and as a result, there is a tendency to focus on self.  The reality is that if you focus on yourself long enough you will find yourselves depressed, lacking, and wanting more.  You will find that you are not the center of the universe. 

So what is the solution in Ecclesiastes?  One solution is to reverentially obey God by focusing on the fact that God has given you the gifts that he has so that you can use those gifts in serving others in his name.  That’s it.  An others-centered focus is driven by the realization of who God is and what he has done for you. 

When you understand that you were served in the ultimate way by Jesus, it should motivate you in your service to others.  When you understand that Jesus became oppressed and lowly so that you could be an heir to the kingdom, when you understand that Jesus became the lonely outcast so that you could belong to a Christian community, when you understand that Jesus became the rejected leader so that you could reign with him, it changes your approach to this world.  

We all should be humbled by how we have been ultimately served in the cross and follow his example in serving others so that they can experience the richness of experiencing a life giving relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

www.newlineministries.com