Auto Focus Or Out Of Focus

Luke 10:38 As they were traveling along, Jesus went into a village. A woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.

Luke 10:39 She had a sister named Mary. Mary sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to him talk.

Luke 10:40 But Martha was upset about all the work she had to do. So she asked, "Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work all by myself? Tell her to help me."

Luke 10:41 The Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha! You worry and fuss about a lot of things.

Luke 10:42 There’s only one thing you need. Mary has made the right choice and that one thing will not be taken away from her."

How annoying it is to stare at pictures that are taken out of focus. You would wish that the studio had not printed photos that do not satisfy your sight, although the characters occupy a very significant space in your life. In the same way, it is totally exasperating to find people in the church whose lives are out of focus. They come to church because they HAVE to, not because they WANT to. They join you in praise and worship because they NEED to do it and not because they LOVE to do it. They even pray because they SHOULD do it, rather than they WOULD do it. Christian life is not a BLESSING in that case, rather it becomes a BURDEN. Are you ENJOYING your Christian life, or simply ENDURING it? If that is your life, then your life is OUT OF FOCUS. You need to have a life that is AUTO FOCUS! It’s a life that is focused on God and His grace rather than the global crisis and economic recession that plague the entire globe.

In photography, an out of focus picture could be caused by two factors. One, there is not enough LIGHT to illumine the imagery. Two, the LENS are not properly set to capture the imagery. To relate that in our spiritual life, inadequate light would mean that our devotion to God is not in proper order, and improper setting of lens would mean that our duty to God is not consistently observed. There has to be a perfect balance of light and lens to have a perfect picture. In the same way, there has to be a perfect balance of our DEVOTION and DUTY in order to have a life that is spiritually AUTO FOCUS. A life that is spiritually out of focus will eventually manifest in Unclear Visions, Unfounded Perceptions, Unreliable Interpretations and Unfruitful Actions. So how do you know when you are out of focus?

First, when you find yourself Getting Angry at your Situations. In our reading passage we find Martha doing the kitchen chores alone but energetically. But Luke described her attitude in verse 40, "But Martha was upset about all the work she had to do". She was actually doing great and working well. Her hands were on the job; her head was also on the job. But her heart was not on the job. She did not love what she was doing, although she was undoubtedly effective on it. In the life of Martha we can discover three possible reasons to our getting angry at our situations. One, when we allow distraction to ravage our service. It is a wonderful thing to serve – rewarding so to speak. But when we allow distraction take its toll, then we become grumpy over the things that we do, however effective we may be doing them. Two, when we assume desertion to undermine our focus on the job. How often we do things for God, and we do it alone. But instead of feeling privileged to do the job alone, more often than not, we feel so deserted that no one even lifts a finger to help us. We ask God the question, "Shall I always do this alone and by myself?" Thank God if you are doing things alone, for God has chosen you among the many and therefore you are handpicked by Him. That means you are solely fit to do the job. Three, when we accept depression that would result to discouragement. When no one seems to care that you are working alone; when no one seems to notice your hard works; when you hear no words of appreciation or a tap on your shoulders from the leaders and co-workers in God’s kingdom, you tend to give up. You scream loud these words, "The Lord must do something in my Personal Situation". If you are this type of a person, I can say, "YOU ARE OUT OF FOCUS!" Friend, it’s time for you to know that your reward is the work itself. It is such a marvelous thing that God trusts us to do His work. What an honor and privilege! Our minds can be distressed; our emotions can be oppressed; our wills can be suppressed, yet Christ has firmly expressed, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33.