2 Corinthians 4:18 Spiritual Focus
Food for Thought
An all-creatures.org Guide to Kingdom Living

By Marni Montanez

2 Corinthians 4:18 Holman Christian Standard Bible

So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what  

There is a song by a singer named Bono who is with the band U2… the song is called “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”

For years this song really bothered me; partly because I thought as a Christian, we should have found what we were looking for in Jesus and partly it bothered me because I struggled with this very issue.  These lyrics echoed in my soul like a haunting reminder that I still do not measure up and lack what I need to be all I was meant to be.

But, this verse said it all.   It raises the question:  what are we looking for?  

Our focus is what leads us in a direction that will either taint our views or bring clarity as truth moves us through life.   Our focus is our darkness or our candle.   Our eternal enemy knows that what we focus on is what will grow in us and what we will grow in.

If we focus on the world around us and all the challenges and deceptions that we see with our physical eyes, then we will be drawn into a negative and destructive lifestyle.  We will continuously feel defeated and unfulfilled.   This will only make us weaker as we stray from reality and build our self-esteem and zest for living on the superficial or temporary, which is everything earthly, then we truly will not accomplish that which God created us for.

But just the opposite is true. If we set our eyes on the spiritual; the eternal light of glory, our path will be lit up with the brilliance of hope and enlightenment.  This revelatory lifestyle in itself is satisfactory and will be a constant flame before us, leading us into greater things.

Jeremiah 33:3 New King James Version

3. ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

Our focus depends on our desire to be either holy or carnal.   It takes work to be either one and each road has its consequences.  They both present challenges that may be difficult and make us change.  Whether the change is positive and life-giving or negative and life-depleting is our choice, depending on what we focus on.

Challenge:  Practice focusing on the spiritual.  God requires this:  

Colossians 3:2 Holman Christian Standard Bible

2. Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth.   

As you focus on spiritual things as you read the bible, pray and sit quietly listening for God’s voice, watch how your spiritual life will develop as your relationship with God grows.

God bless

Marni

Go on to: 2 Corinthians 5:7
Return to: Food for Thought
Return to: Christian Living Articles

The purpose of this series is to encourage people to live as loving, compassionate, and peacemaking children of God: Jesus tells us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) God tells us through Micah (6:8), "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God." And we know from Revelation 21:4 that there will be no more mourning, or crying, or pain, or death. Thus, Christian living requires us to set the standards of these conditions here on earth for our fellow human beings, and for the other animals, as a witness to the rest of the world. To do otherwise is not Christian.