Based on “Life Happens” by Pastor Mark Balmer; 6/26-27/10
Message #6052; Daily Devotional #5 - “Stay Focused-Experience Joy”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): As Christ followers, we must realize that Satan is out to separate us from God and therefore prevent us from fulfilling God’s purpose for us. Satan will use anything and anyone to distract us from a close relationship with our Father. The anything can be television, house, work, or money matters and anyone could be friends, family, spouse, boss, neighbor, etc. You can be certain that the enemy will custom tailor distractions to your specific weaknesses and place these distractions in your paths on a daily basis. We have to seek the Lord our Father daily to stay focused on His purpose; through daily prayer and meditation on His Word we can achieve this. And through this, we receive His joy, no matter what the circumstances!
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): Loving God and fulfilling His purpose is a lifestyle. The Christ follower is instructed to “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalms 37:4) So we must seek the Lord and delight ourselves in His greatness and wonder-a perfect definition of joy. It is important that our delight is not based on ourselves or what God can do for us but on His perfect plan for us. During a recent service we were reminded that time is our most valuable resource. God makes it very clear that our time here is short in the grand scheme of the universe. He describes life as a “vapor” (James 4:14) and also as a mere “shadow” (1 Chronicles 29:15). We live in a world that has a focus on the future, and we have been raised to work in school, to get a job, then we work to buy a house, and then save for a retirement that we may or may not live to see. Throughout Scripture there is not a single example of God telling us to put our eternal tasks off for as little as a day. Instead, we are taught that the future is not something we can count on. “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” (Proverbs 27:1, KJV) Instead, stay focused on Jesus and live the life God has planned for you, day by day, step by step, in joy and expectation.
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): The things that distract us from God keep us from accomplishing His purpose and therefore, steal joy from our lives. Try to keep track of how you spend your free time this week. If you’re like me, you’ll find that a few adjustments are in order. Life happens! But wouldn’t you rather spend your time walking the path God has planned, just for you, in joy rather than in dread of tomorrow? Spending more time focused on God’s purpose will bring exponential returns in joy and satisfaction.
Cultivating (Additional Reading): John 16:33; Philippians 4:4; Romans 8:28-29
WSK
Calvary Chapel of Melbourne; 2955 Minton Road; W. Melbourne, FL 32904; 321-952-9673
All Bible references are from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise noted.
KJV = King James Version.