The Word for Today in Asia and the Pacific

‘Focus on this one thing.’ Philippians 3:13 NLT

We live in the day of multitasking. We talk on the phone while having lunch, read text messages while feeding the kids, and even hold multiple WhatsApp conversations at the same time.

Dr Richard Swenson says: ‘In some instances we are more productive… some people crochet while watching the news. And in certain jobs it’s considered necessary; clerks on the Stock Exchange floor are required to run around doing five things at once. But isn’t it bizarre that when a 48-year-old broker drops dead, his colleagues keep working around the lifeless body receiving CPR? The dramatic escalation of busyness has given us too much to do in a short time. The standard strategy… instead of refusing to take on more… is to do two, three, or four things at once. It’s an extension of the do-more-and-more-with-less-and-less philosophy. But someone forgot to do the math! By doing two things at once you divert 30% of your attention from the primary task; you sacrifice quality for quantity, which leads to more errors. You may end up finishing more tasks, but with poorer products and frazzled nerves. The downside of multitasking isn’t well-advertised… so we keep experimenting to see how far we can push the envelope. However, when it comes to relationships, multitasking can be disastrous. We don’t listen… it takes too much time. Families need focus… babies need what they need when they need it. You either parent them or you don’t. Paul didn’t live like that. He focused “on this one thing.”’

A dog has four feet, but it doesn’t try to walk down four roads! So slow down and establish a pace that’s sane and sustainable.

SoulFood: Josh 1, Ps 27:11–14, 2 Tim 2:1–13

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©

‘Is this the kind of fast I have chosen?’ Isaiah 58:5 NIV

God never commanded you to examine your emotions, experiences, or sins. What He did say is, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’ (John 1:29 NASB) Victory over sin comes from focusing on Christ—not beating yourself up! In the Old Testament the Israelites reached a place of despair.

They’d fasted and ‘afflicted’ their souls, yet God ignored their efforts. They sought spiritual restoration in their own self-directed way, and God rejected it, saying: ‘Is this the kind of fast I have chosen… for people to humble themselves… bowing one’s head like a reed… in sackcloth and ashes? Is that… acceptable to the Lord?’ Clearly, God is not pleased with the misery that comes from self-focus! He has a more effective way to liberate us.

Rather than have us weighed down with remorse, He said: ‘Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice… set the oppressed free… break every yoke… share your food with the hungry… provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not… turn away from your own flesh and blood?’ (Isaiah 58:6–7 NIV)

God’s way eliminates the ‘paralysis of self-analysis’ by commanding you to forget about yourself completely; to stop dwelling on your imperfections and get involved in the lives and needs of others. His four-point plan for overcoming your flesh is:

(1) Acknowledge His grace and see yourself as ‘righteous’ in Christ.

(2) Fix your eyes on Jesus.

(3) Keep away from obsessive self-focus.

(4) Serve God by serving others.

When you do all these things, ‘Your light will rise in the darkness…The Lord will guide… and… strengthen you.’ (Isaiah 58:10–11 NIV)

SoulFood: 2 Chr 29–31, John 14:1–14, Ps 118:10–18, Pro 28:1–4

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©

‘My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare.’ Psalm 25:15 NIV

It’s no use for us to shine a spotlight on ourselves, find some faults and tinker with them in the hope of making improvements. The Lord wants total and radical replacement of ‘old’ with ‘new’. Your old nature is determined to hold your attention; it would rather be thought of badly than not at all. In the process of examining your flesh and feeling miserable, you’re probably going to think you are being humble, honest and spiritual. But the only spiritual and safe way to handle your fleshly nature is to consign it to the ‘ignore file’, and anchor your attention and expectations exclusively on the Lord.

David understood how this principle worked: ‘My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare.’ Looking at your own ‘clay feet’ (weaknesses and failures), and the ‘snare’ (your unregenerate flesh) you’re tangled in, won’t free you from the trap. You’ll just end up further entangled. Only God, together with your cooperation, can release you from the trap of the flesh. Keeping your ‘eyes… ever on the Lord’ is His way of giving you the victory.

Listen again to what David said: ‘I keep my eyes always on the Lord… I will not be shaken… You make known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.’ (Psalm 16:8–11 NIV) Your job is simple, though not necessarily easy. It’s to ignore your fleshly cravings and stay focused on Jesus. His job is to transform you by His mighty power!

SoulFood: 2 Chr 25–28, John 13:31–38, Ps 118:1–9, Pro 27:23–27

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©

‘Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life.’ Ephesians 4:22 NLT

Does God expect us to work on growth and self-improvement? Yes! But just as examining yourself is futile, so is trying to change if it keeps you self-focused and defeated. The Bible’s path to change is to turn away from self and focus on Christ. Paul says, ‘We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory… by the Spirit of the Lord.’ (2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV)

God isn’t interested in improved flesh. In His eyes ‘improved flesh’ is still flesh. He’s in the character-transformation business, not the self-improvement business. All your self-improvement strategies can’t transform your old self-nature. Only God, ‘by the Spirit’, can make you more Christ-like. As you ‘behold [look at and study] as in a mirror [the Word of God]’ you become ‘transformed into the same image [the image of God you’re looking at] from glory to glory [grade to grade]’. It doesn’t happen because of your grit, but because of His grace.

‘So what will happen to my flesh?’ you ask. God’s ultimate plan is to replace it and give you a new heavenly body. That’s why Paul writes: ‘Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.’ No altering, adjusting, and patching-up allowed— you must ‘throw it off’!

Like a lobster or crab growing and shedding the confinement of its old shell, as you focus on and fellowship with Christ, you are released from the dominance of your old nature and grow into your new one. You’re transformed—from the inside out.

SoulFood: 2 Chr 22–24, John 13:18–30, Ps 114, Pro 27:20–22

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©

‘Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.’ Luke 12:37 NKJV

When dealing with self-focus, you may ask, ‘What about those Scriptures that specifically tell us to “watch”? Aren’t they all about keeping an eye on ourselves?’ That’s a good question, so let’s take a look at some of those ‘watch’ passages in Scripture.

In Mark 13:34–37 NKJV we read: ‘A man going to a far country… left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!’

What Jesus was teaching here is the exact opposite of self-focus. The doorkeeper wasn’t to watch himself, but to watch for his returning master. Jesus expects us to forget ourselves, work conscientiously for His Kingdom, and be watching and prepared for His return. He said, ‘Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself… have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.’ Far from an obsessive self-introspection that leaves you exhausted, discouraged, and disappointed with yourself, Jesus wants you to be excited and involved in His work here on earth, to actively watch for the coming again of your Lord and King.

‘Look to Me [not to yourself!], and be saved… For I am God, and there is no other.’ (Isaiah 45:22 NKJV) So focus more on God—and less on yourself.

SoulFood: 2 Chr 19–21, John 13:1–17, Ps 95, Pro 27:17–19

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©