A New Year's Perspective

Happy New Year! Well, it's really not so new, but considering how long it has been since I have blogged, this is new. This year is our fifth year emphasizing a certain theme or focus for the calendar year at Franklin Baptist Church. With the help of my friend, Josh Berg, it is not just my favorite annual thought, but it is also my favorite annual visual. As I have meditated much upon this theme, I have realized a new perspective at work in my heart. That is, am I considering or acknowledging Christ in every aspect of my life? Does His word trump every notion, tradition, and influence in my life?

Today's chronological Bible reading schedule stop had me reading Genesis 12-15, and in the first couple verses of reading I could not help but stop and address a real issue in my life. We are all very familiar with the man Abraham. Many of us even know that he was called "the friend of God". God had many promises the He desired to fulfill in Abraham's life but it all started in Genesis 12:1, "Now the Lord said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee..." and God follows with the first promise of blessing in Abraham's life.

The word for the day is distraction. God knew that for Abraham to be free to obey Him, he needed to be free from distractions. These were God's very first recorded words to Abraham. That is significant. We long for the best God has in store for us. We say that we desire His will for our life. God may not expect you to move away from your home and family but I can assure you that there are some things that He would like to see you distance yourself from. Now, to put that back into context, what am I (or are you) allowing to take the priority in life away from the Lord Jesus Christ? I am painfully easy to distract. A standing "dig" that I hear regularly is "Look, something shiny!" I am finding that I must be intentional about placing Christ upon the throne of my life daily. Without the very distinct realization of distractions in front of me, I would allow tasks, other people, and amusement to usurp the throne of my heart, and anything or anyone other than Christ in that place would surely be a hindrance to God's plan for me. And without starting another whole post, I will say that that is exactly what the enemy wants. I don't have to list the distractions. You know them and more importantly, you know your's. Forsake it today. As you bow before that throne today, make sure it is Christ that wears the crown.