Focus of Purpose

Thomas Edison once said “The secret of success is focus of purpose.” This is true for the Christian today. If we are going to succeed in religion, and if we are going to receive that crown of life at then end of our lives, then we must have a purpose -we must have a goal in our mind constantly. 

In Hebrews 12:1-2, the Hebrews writer said “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us,and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” 

The writer said again, “let us run ... the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus....” Whenever you drive at night, do you use your headlights? Whenever you drive in unfamiliar locations, do you use your Siri? Whenever we drive, we want to know where we are going, but so many people in the denominational world want to say, “Jesus take the wheel!” but why would he take the wheel when he’s given us a map (a Siri). Why would Jesus take the wheel when he’s given us headlights. As the Psalmist said, “thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path,” (Psalm 119:105). 

Our purpose and our goal in life is to get to heaven -it is to find eternal life. In John 8:12, Jesus said “...I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Jesus is the only thing that will get us into Heaven, because He alone has provided the only map and the only light that can direct us to Heaven. Mankind through the ages have tried to come up with their own guides to allow them to enter Heaven, but just as there is only one Heaven, there is only one way into Heaven. John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am THE way, THE truth, THE life: no man cometh unto the father, but by me,” (emphasis added). And where is God the father? Matthew 6:9, Jesus said to his disciples, “after this manner therefore pray ye: our father which art in heaven, Hallowed by thy name.” God is in Heaven. Jesus is the only way into Heaven. 

If we focus on Jesus: The Way into Heaven, we will succeed in attaining life. Most of Thomas Edison’s quote was true, save this: “the secret to success is focus on purpose,” except that the secret of success is no secret at all. If you are lost and you want to be found, you pull out your Siri and flip on your headlights, and you FOCUS on getting FOUND. Likewise, if you are in sin, if you are dead spiritually, then you study the Bible, and you FOCUS on finding JESUS. More specifically, in order to have the forgiveness of sins and escape eternal death, you must come into contact with the blood of Christ. 1 John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

The crux of the matter is this: God/Jesus has done His part, now it is up to us. If we want to succeed, we cannot merely say “Jesus take the wheel!” We have to instead follow and obey Him. As Stephen, in Acts 7:56, saw Jesus standing on the right hand of God, so ought we to be, (not literally, but metaphorically). We need, in short, to focus on God, and then we will receive that crown on life (Rev.2:10)