EVERYBODY NEEDS A LITTLE EYE SURGERY

Just to sharpen our focus.

My eye surgery occurred when I retired and tired of wearing glasses sought a surgeon. Rather than the laser surgery, he performed something close to abrasion surgery. He used a laser, but my retina was not cut or flapped. He sorta reshaped my eyeballs. One for long distance seeing and one for close reading.

As Christians, our focus must be on Jesus. We are aliens in this world (John 17:14) and therefore, why let our attention be here. So how do set our sights on eternal things?

Since we live in this world, that's not going to be possible 100% of the time. Or even 50%. So what we must do is to live with a purpose ( don't forget Rick Warren's A Purpose Driven Life) and that purpose is to live for the glory of the Lord. What that means is quite simply to accept that God is the one in control of our lives. He has a perfect plan for our lives. When we are submissive to Him, we are pleasing to Him. When we follow Him, we give Him the glory. And that's the only way to glorify God.

In our daily lives, then, we need to show that we are salt (Luke 14:34). We don't need to blend in with the world. As salt preserves as well as flavors, we need to preserve good and add flavor to life. We need to show off God, literally. To show that we have a heart for God. How do we have a heart for God? John Calvin says, "when we go in the name of the Son". If people see us in our daily lives and can't tell that we are Christians, then we've failed. If we're living for the kingdom, it will be apparent.

While I was recovering, I couldn't read, couln't watch even big screen tv because I could see were blurs. And that's often the way it is when we take our first steps as followers of Jesus.

Our pastor sees it as a progression from seeker to student, from student to server, and from server to shepherd. What separates one from the other is often time simply our focus.