The Power of Focus
Bruce Lee was famous for his amazing strength and speed, especially for his size. He was a pioneer in combining various forms of the martial arts to develop a more effective and well-rounded fighting system. He also understood the power of focus. One could have an immense amount of power, but, if not delivered with focus, it was ineffective. One way he illustrated this was what he called the “1-inch punch.” He had developed the ability to center all of his energy with such focus, that he could start a mere 1-inch away from his opponent and knock a person backwards.
Sunday we looked at what Paul said about a Gospel-focused life. Everybody wants their life to have meaning and purpose, to really matter, to make a difference in this world. And most everyone has experienced the difference between being focused and being distracted and pulled in many different directions. Christians are called to focus their lives on the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When we align our life around the Gospel, we begin to see God move in powerful ways. Paul said it this way in Philippians 3:13-14, “One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul sought to focus his life on the “one thing,” the power of the Gospel.
Part of living a Gospel-focused life is also knowing what is not important, and eliminating those distractions. What are the things that distract us from the Gospel? Likely things like social media and the news. We can easily get lost scrolling or surfing in an endless stream of mindless frivolity. But the Gospel-focused person knows how to say no to the drivel and focus his heart on Christ. We’ll look at this more when we study Philippians 4:6-7 in a few weeks, but until then, ask yourself what needs to be eliminated from your life to increase your Gospel focus? Not sure what that is? Start by examining your anxieties. What increases your anxiety? That is likely something that is affecting a Gospel-focused life.
God is on the move at Valley View. Many are sensing His stirring in their lives. God is calling us to increase our focus on Him for the sake of taking the Gospel across the South End of Louisville. Join us this Sunday as we gather to worship in the morning, but also again in the evening at 5:30pm for a special Worship and Vision Service. We’ll be launching the new vision for the coming year. There will be brownies and ice cream after. You won’t want to miss it!