So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18, NIV)
In golf there is much discussion about focusing on the target you want to hit before you execute your swing. Some people just have a general area where they want the ball to end up. Most really good players have a small target, a specific area for their ball to land and finish. Amateurs like me are usually just trying not to hit the ball someplace really bad! I know I would be better if I would work more on focusing on where I want the ball to go and avoid thinking about where I don’t want to hit it. The point is that if we really want to be better, we need a clear focus on the target.
He will be our guide along the way, our lighthouse in the storm and the sure footing we will need to make it to the end.God calls us to have that same kind of focus. He wants our eyes fixed not on what we can see but on the eternal things we cannot see. He wants us to see him as our source for everything. He is the target that will keep us safe and on the right course for our life.
How can we develop that kind of focus in our daily life? We have to really know who God is and actually trust that he loves us and knows what is best for us. When we do that, we come to realize that the troubles and problems we encounter are all part of his plan for us to know him better. When our focus is on him, our perspective about the things and circumstances around us change. We begin to realize that only the unseen workings of God in our life have any eternal significance. The external things that take up so much of our time and attention will be just a temporary distraction in the whole of our existence.
God gives us life and existence and the opportunity to run a race with our life toward his ultimate destination for us: an eternity in his presence. If we believe in him, he will be our guide along the way, our lighthouse in the storm and the sure footing we will need to make it to the end. Without a clear focus on him, we will find that journey very difficult and harder than necessary.
God asks us to trust him, to focus our eyes on him, and to let him lead us. He will love us and keep us and bring us safely home, no matter how many hazards we see all around us. He is the focused target we should look at, because he knows where all the real dangers are and he has overcome them all.
—
Linda Ballard
May 5, 2016
Copyright 2016 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.