How to Maintain Eternal Focus

Christians can lose their eternal focus through various distractions and challenges that shift their attention and priorities away from God and His eternal kingdom. This shift can lead to a lifestyle that prioritizes temporal concerns over spiritual truths and eternal values. The result is ineffectiveness, lack of joy, and missed opportunities to fulfill God’s mission on earth. Losing eternal focus is worldliness.

How Eternal Focus is Lost

• Loving the World - The Bible warns against loving the world and its pleasures, which can lead us away from God's will. 1 John 2:15-16  15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. This attachment to worldly pleasures can dull spiritual hearing and diminish our eternal perspective.

• Worries of Life - Jesus cautioned that the cares of this life could choke out one's spiritual vitality, making it unfruitful. In the Parable of the Sower, Mark 4:19 But the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. The pursuit of material wealth and security, without a clear leading of the Lord, can overshadow eternal priorities.

• Fear of Man - Seeking approval from others can lead to compromising one's faith and values. Proverbs 29:25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. The desire for human approval can distract believers from their commitment to God and His eternal kingdom.

• Spiritual Complacency - A lack of spiritual discipline and fervor can cause Christians to drift away from their faith. Revelation 3:15-16 is a warning to the church in Laodicea, 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. Spiritual complacency prevents growth and diminishes a believer's impact for eternity.

• False Teachings - Adhering to doctrinal errors or following false teachers can lead Christians astray. Ephesians 4:14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Sound doctrine is crucial for maintaining an eternal perspective and a godly life.

• Neglecting God's Word - Failing to engage with Scripture can result in a loss of direction and focus. Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. The Bible provides guidance, encouragement, and correction, helping us to stay focused on the eternal purposes of God.

How to Obtain and Maintain Eternal Focus

• Seek First the Kingdom of God - Prioritizing God's kingdom and His righteousness ensures that earthly concerns do not overshadow eternal values. Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Focusing on God's kingdom helps in making decisions that have eternal significance.

• Store Up Treasures in Heaven - Jesus encouraged His followers to focus on accumulating treasures in heaven rather than on earth, where they are subject to decay and theft. Matthew 6:19-21  19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. This perspective influences how we use our resources, time, and talents.

• Live as Aliens and Strangers - Believers are reminded that their true citizenship is in heaven, and they are merely sojourners on earth. 1 Peter 2:11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Recognizing that this world is not our final home can help us maintain an eternal perspective.

• Fix Your Eyes on Jesus - Focusing on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, helps Christians navigate life's challenges without losing sight of eternal rewards. Hebrews 12:1-2  1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. This encourages believers to live lives that reflect Christ's love and sacrifice.

• Live a Life Worthy of the Calling - Ephesians 4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. This involves embracing values and behaviors that reflect God's kingdom and have an eternal impact.

• Invest in Relationships - Building and nurturing relationships with eternal significance, including evangelism and discipleship, aligns with Jesus' Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20   19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and 20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Investing in others for the sake of the Gospel has eternal rewards.