Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. (Hebrews 2:1, ESV)
In my mind’s eye, I can still see legendary instructor Jim Flick in a TV ad, swinging a golf club, missing the shot, then turning to the camera and saying, with a “doggone it” kind of smile, “Lost my focus.”
I’ve said that from time to time on a golf course, occasionally even with that same wry smile.
It’s my contention that if I—and perhaps this applies to you—would use more energy on focus when I play golf and less energy wondering if my swing would look better if the little toe on my front foot came off the ground at the top of the backswing, my scores would improve.
But I lose my focus, and I do that for all kinds of reasons. Pace of play, especially if our group’s pace is slow, can suck my focus away from the game. Helping one of my playing partners with their game—or even with their spiritual walk—can get my focus off the game. That may or may not get me a higher place in heaven, but it definitely gets me a higher index.
What I’ve come to understand is that losing my focus is almost always a choice, so I shouldn’t complain about it; I should acknowledge the truth and accept the consequences. If I want different consequences, I need to make different choices.
Suddenly I was paying close attention to the right things, and the difference that made was amazing.The same “lost my focus” thing that can happen to me on the golf course can also happen to me in my work, in my relationships, and even in following Jesus.
If you consider yourself a follower of Jesus, how much effort do you give to focusing on that? Are you “paying close attention to what you’ve heard” so that you don’t drift away from it? Are you purposely and intentionally thinking about your life? Does your relationship with Jesus inform the places you go, the people you spend time with, the books you read, the movies you watch?
Recently I had a lesson with a fine professional, and my game improved immediately. She didn’t tell me much that was new, but she reminded me of things I had heard when I was young in the game. Suddenly I was paying close attention to the right things, and the difference that made was amazing.
What did I learn as a kid? Swing the clubhead so that the ball goes to the target. I didn’t learn about trivial body positions, including that little toe. I just learned to put the ball in the hole.
Growing spiritually is much like that, I think. Often it is less about “knowing more” than it is about paying closer attention to what we already know: It’s all about Jesus, who saved us from our sins and who should be Lord of our life.
And that’s worthy of our focus.
—
Lewis Greer
March 11, 2020
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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