Staying Focused

Do not turn from [the law] to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.

Joshua 1:7

In the early centuries of the Christian church, a movement of ascetics developed. These individuals became hermits, living in caves and other isolated places as a way to remove themselves from the impurities of the world and enhance their own holiness. One of the most famous was Symeon the Stylite, who lived atop a fifty-foot stone pillar for thirty-six years, until his death in AD 459.

It would be spiritually safe, though thoroughly impractical, for us to retreat to a cave or climb atop a pillar to live. There is much in life to distract us as we journey through this world, but no physical protection can guard the thoughts and intents of the heart. We need a way to keep our priorities, values, and decisions focused only on the will of God for our lives. The Bible refers to such choices as obedience—the outworking of the believer’s committed faith. When Joshua was heading into the spiritually dangerous, pagan land of Canaan, God cautioned him to obey all the Word of God, staying focused—turning neither to the right nor to the left.

A daily prayer for obedience is how we keep our eyes focused on Christ. But it’s up to us to pray the prayer.

The best measure of spiritual life is not ecstasies but obedience.

OSWALD CHAMBERS