Minute by Minute

Following Christ is not an effort here and there, it a consistent daily - minute by minute working (living) out your salvation. 

Jesus said, "If you love Me you will keep My commandments" John 14:21 and these are His commandments; Love the Lord your God With all your hearts, mind and strength and the second is like it, Love your neighbor as yourself" Mark 12:29-31.  Can you love someone with all your hear mind and strength when you spend little if any time with them?  Jesus said if you want to be his disciple that you must deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow him Matt. 16:24.

DENY
Denying yourself doesn't mean that we go live in a cave in the side of a mountain somewhere, it means that we bring the desires we have that are not God honoring under His Lordship.  In fact it means our entire self must be subservient to Christ and His position of Lord of our lives.  We are crucified, buried and resurrected in Christ Jesus.  Matt 16:25 says, "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

PICK UP
We are told to, "pick up our cross daily" Luke 9:23.  So often we want to pick up next weeks cross, "Oh no, our insurance is due" or, "I have to meet so and so and do such and such".  Is it proper to prepare?  Yes, but to stress out and be consumed by tomorrows things only distracts us from today's true potential.

What about those of us who want to "pick up" yesterday's cross.  If you live in the past you will miss the present.  It's over.  Paul says, "I press on towards the mark of the higher calling not looking back Phil. 3: 13-15. If you put your hand to the plow and keep looking over your shoulder, your furrow will be crooked or you will run into a tree.  Today is wasted when picking up tomorrow's cross or yesterday's cross today.

FOLLOW

Those who followed Christ, left their nets - wept for forgiveness - could not bury their dead - had to give their wealth to the poor - forgo inspecting a purchased field - had to not check out cattle they just bought - had to leave the spouse they married  had to love Christ more than their family and themselves Matthew 10:36-38.  Although the cross is easy and the burden is light it is still a cross.  Following Christ is being led by the Spirit. 

Determination

 

Cast Your Lot with the Lord and be not deterred.  (Determination)

Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Different people have different levels of determination. Concentration for one is deep and intense; for another it is fleeting and difficult.  Watch the eyes of a professional golfer, they “Lock-in” and very little of what is going on around them enters their train of thought.  “Lock-in”, that’s a great phrase for those who have great concentration.  Is being able to “Lock-in” an innate trait or is it something that is learned?  To some extent I am convinced it’s a bit of both. 

The individual who has Attention Deficit Disorder can have an impossible time concentrating on the simplest thing.  According to the Mayo Clinic:

(ADHD) is a chronic condition that affects millions of children and often persists into adulthood. ADHD includes a combination of problems, such as difficulty sustaining attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior.

ADHD and other conditions although not necessarily attributable to a physical malady are understood to be a conditions inherent in an individual and not learned or caused by the residential environment.

Try reading the book of Leviticus or First Chronicles sometime to test your concentration skills.  One of the reasons I find cutting the lawn so therapeutic is for this very reason, I can cut the grass and feel as if I’m accomplishing something and my mind can be a thousand miles away. 

Feel like I’m accomplishing something; there’s a lot said with that statement.  Environmental pressures contribute to a lack of concentration.  Today we must be doing or our time is wasted.  We get caught up in doing and don’t spend enough time letting.  Our focus is thrown into the worries of this world until we are consumed.  Jesus said in Matthew 6:34, Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.  Martha in Luke Chapter 10 is a great example.

From a Christian perspective, “casting our lot” means relying and in many cases waiting on the Lord.  It means concentrating on the Spiritual and spending less time doing or obsessing about the physical.  We must remember that we are only passing through, this is not our home (Hebrews 13:14, 2 Corinthians 5:1). The song, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus” has a great line in it. The line says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace”.  I think that is what Paul was talking about when he said to live is Christ, to die is gain Philippians 1:21.