The Power of a Focused Life

In Proverbs 21:5 I read, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty." (NLT)

If I want God to use me in great ways, I need focus. The more focused I am, the more effective I’ll be—and the more God will use me.

There’s awesome power in focus. Diffused light doesn’t have much of an effect on what it touches. But when I focus light—like the sun’s light through a magnifying glass—I can light a piece of paper or grass on fire. If I can focus it even more, it becomes a laser. A laser can cut through steel and destroy cancer.

The same is true with my life. If the course of my life lacks direction, I’ll just drift through without making an impact. But if I focus my time on a few key goals, then I can make a powerful impact on the world for God.

The Bible says, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty” (Proverbs 21:5 NLT).

One of the great examples of focus in the Bible is the story in Genesis 24. Abraham was getting old, and his son still hadn’t married. God had promised Abraham that he would create a great nation through Abraham’s own family, which God did. But Abraham’s son, Isaac, still didn’t have any children. He wasn’t even married yet. So Abraham gave his chief servant a goal of finding a wife for his son. Abraham told his servant, “Don’t get a wife from the Canaanite girls who live around here. Go back to my country, to the land of my relatives, and find a wife for my son Isaac.”

Like all good goals, the servant’s was clear. He knew he needed to find Isaac a wife, and he knew exactly what kind of wife to look for. He needed to find a wife from Abraham’s homeland.

I’ll never reach a vague goal because I’ll never know if I’ve completed it. Abraham’s servant didn’t have that problem.

For example, if my goal is to lose weight, that’s vague. I’ll never really know if I’ve completed the goal because it isn’t specific.

But if I commit to spending the time to reduce what I eat at each meal and walk 5 times a week for 30 minutes, that's specific. I’ll know whether or not I’ve completed it. Those kinds of goals will give me the focus to change my life.

What specific goal will I set for myself this week?

In summary, to be used in great ways by God, I need focus. The more focused I am, the more effective I’ll be—and the more God will use me. Diffused light doesn’t have much of an effect on what it touches. But when I focus light, I can light a piece of paper or grass on fire. The same is true with my life. If the course of my life lacks direction, I’ll just drift through without making an impact. But if I focus my time on a few key goals, then I can make a powerful impact on the world for God. For example, Abraham was getting old, and his son still hadn’t married. So Abraham gave his chief servant a goal of finding a wife for his son. Abraham told his servant, “Not from around here, but go back to my country, to the land of my relatives, and find a wife for my son Isaac.” Like all good goals, the servant’s was clear. He knew he needed to find Isaac a wife, and he knew exactly what kind of wife to look for, to find a wife from Abraham’s homeland. I’ll never reach a vague goal because I’ll never know if I’ve completed it. For example, if my goal is to lose weight, that’s vague. I’ll never really know if I’ve completed the goal because it isn’t specific. But if I commit to spending the time to reduce what I eat at each meal and walk 5 times a week for 30 minutes, that's specific. I’ll know whether or not I’ve completed it. Those kinds of goals will give me the focus to change my life.

The faithful completion of a goal is a great accomplishment. Such work is patiently carried out according to a plan. Diligence does not always come naturally to me.  Steady plodding brings prosperity; hasty speculation brings poverty. However it is a result of strong character. I should never look for quick and easy answers. I need to strive to be a diligent servant of God. I need to plan carefully and not  be hasty or quick. Steady plodding brings prosperity. Diligence is a result of strong character. To be used, I need to focus. Focus will bring power, diffusion will not have much effect. Being directionless, means that I just drift. Focus will have an impact.