Priorities V

02.04.08

What are you known for? Are you a ripper, soul surfer, kook, or what?

As people looked at Jesus they came to expect Him to point them to an eternal perspective rather than a focus on the here and now. It was one of the things He was known for. When questioned on taxes He was kind of like, “no biggie, just make sure you’re giving God what belongs to Him.” A father comes to Jesus (John 4) with extreme urgency, as his son, whom he loves, is sick to the point of death. Jesus responds, “You need to believe.” He regularly pointed to that eternal focus.

Jesus’ eternal focus brought hope. No matter how bad things were there was always hope that this life is temporary and it will be better in eternity. Remember the paralyzed guy who was lowered through someone’s roof (Luke 5)? We always recall that Jesus healed him. But, the healing wasn’t the focus. The focus was “your sins are forgiven.” See him pointing to that bigger, eternal perspective?

Jesus brought hope as He pointed people to eternity which created expectancy. People expected to hear Jesus say something totally bizarre compared to the normal thought of the day. They expected to see Him love someone that no one else would normally look at twice.

What about in your life? Maybe a priority for 2008 could be a focus on eternity and not just the next contest or session. With that focus you may find that people around you begin to have hope and expect God to do something in their lives.

Who do you surf for? How does your surfing fit into a bigger picture, like eternity?