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September 13, 2007

The Greatest Gift

The Apostle Paul wrote, in his first letter to the church in Corinth, about spiritual gifts. There seems to have been some confusion and conflict, and he wanted to set them straight. In his letter, he seems to have ranked some gifts above others. But he missed one.

There is a gift that Paul never wrote about, but is a major factor in our success. Perhaps he missed it because it’s seldom thought of as a gift, and in fact, it may be the only “gift” we can freely choose.

But whether Paul saw it or not, this quality is without question the deciding factor in the outcome of much of our life. Do we seek after greatness in God’s service? Here’s the key. Do we seek to succeed in whatever endeavor we choose? This may be what we need. How about simply growing deeper in our faith, and coming into a truly intimate relationship with God? Here’s an essential ingredient.

But what is it? What’s this magic element for our lives?

My favorite illustration is in II Kings, in the Old Testament. Gifts in the Old Testament? Yes, and good ones, too.

The story is about Elijah the prophet and his apprentice and successor, Elisha. We are mostly interested in Elisha.

As we look through the story, we will be struck by the number of times Elijah tries to get rid of Elisha. “You stay here; God has sent me….” Several times, Elisha is told to stay put, and each time he refuses. If Elijah is going somewhere, Elisha is going there, too.

Finally, they come to the spot where Elijah is to be taken up into heaven, and there is the utterly astounding scene of the fiery chariot. It was meant to distract Elisha, but he would not be put off. He was utterly focused. He knew what he wanted, and would not be put off.

The gift of which I speak and which Elisha demonstrates so well is focus. It is being utterly fixed on the thing we seek, to the point of being called a fanatic, even. Another word, less charitable, might be stubborn. It is not a bad thing to be stubborn, when the focus of that stubbornness is knowing and serving God. Perhaps we could say we should be “stubbornly focused.”

So what’s the difference between success and failure? Between being a man or woman “after God’s own heart” or being just another drop in a pool of insipid, lukewarm mediocrity?

Stubborn focus. It is being doggedly locked onto the goal, ignoring the distractions of circumstances.

Put aside the yapping dogs of the distractions of the world and be focused: Only one thing matters in the end. Press toward that one thing. Be stubborn and be focused. Be stubbornly focused. It’s a great gift, and ours for the taking.

Posted by at 09:11 AM | Comments (5)