Refocus - Bible Plan Verse #2

Author's Notes: So I had finished all of the heavy lifting to complete my impossible dream of getting a submit a Bible plan to YouVersion (a.k.a. the Bible App) even though they aren't taking submissions. All I needed to do was to perform the final reviews and post. Of course that's when life gets in the way. My wife and I are in the process of international adoption and needless to say, there are times that are much busier than others. But it's time to stop making excuses and time to start making God a priority. Unsurprisingly, today's verse is on the importance of the proper focus.

I've reworked the format of the blog posts to provide more insights into what I drew and why I drew it. It's like getting to be a fly on the wall while God and I discuss His word through my mind's eye. It has been incredibly influential to me as well because it helps me to break down thoughts into words and dig even deeper into the heart of our Creator.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬ NLT)

Read it again.

Finally, brothers and sisters, keep your thoughts on whatever is right or deserves praise: things that are true, honorable, fair, pure, acceptable, or commendable. (Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬ GOD'S WORD® Translation)

WHAT STICKS OUT?

Action words: "Fix your thoughts"

WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE?

>>> MAGNIFYING GLASS <<<

The definition of "fix" in this sentence is a purposeful direction, attention, or focus on one specific thing such as "fix your eyes on Jesus" (Hebrews 12:2). So when you "fix your thoughts" on good things, it doesn't mean that bad things no longer exist. It means that you are choosing to focus on these good things instead of the bad.

>>> IN FOCUS: MAN & BOY <<<

So what are these "good things" that we should be filling our minds with? What is "true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable?" Perhaps you think of your favorite memories or people who inspired you or selfless actions. These thoughts fall far short of the standard. What is good? Even Jesus said, "Only God is truly good." (‭Mark‬ ‭10‬:‭18‬ NLT). Only God meets this requirement, and only actions performed out of God's love are worthy of praise. This praise is not for you, but for God. I drew this "good thing" as the cross the man is giving to a boy which is a metaphor for sharing the gospel, the "good news"! Recently my family has been breaking it down in a simpler, daily example of God's goodness that my wife calls a GGG! (Give God Glory) We take time to give God glory for what He's doing in our lives. This could be as big as a promotion at work, but normally God shows up in much more subtle ways throughout your day, such as that "coincidental" encounter with a person at the grocery store that had a word of encouragement just for you at just the right time. When you take the time to look for how God has shown up today, you will be surprised at how often He works in your life. The more you look for God, the more you will see Him. The more you see Him, the less you get distracted by anything else.

>>> OUT OF FOCUS: MONSTER <<<

When I take a step back and take a practical look at the idea of putting all the focus completely on God, the prideful fighter in me doesn't like it one bit! It feels like there is a monster is in the background just waiting to attack. I think to myself, "Ignoring the problem won't solve the problem! I have to do something!" Don't confuse giving a problem to God with ignoring a problem. What happens when you focus on the problem? Over planning. Anxiety. Fear. Negativity. Stress. At best, you survive the problem just to see another one on the horizon.

What happens when you focus on God? You give Him control. He takes care of you although not usually in the way your earthly mind would prefer. And in the process He produces in you: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control (Galatians 5:22-23).

There will always be problems, but our focus shouldn't be on solutions. We live abundant life when we focus on God and act out of His blessings that are "excellent and worthy of praise".

Day 318

[Text from image: Holy Spirit, Freedom - Good Intentions - Sinful Nature, Strict Obedience]

Day 317

[Text from image: Under the curse of the law - Freedom through faith in Jesus who took the curse of the law for us.]

Isn't it ironic? (Galatians 2:20)

From the tract '10 Reasons Jesus Came to Die' by John Piper

#4) To show Jesus' own love for us

I think that the modern view of crucifixion is the greatest irony in the history of capital punishment. We sort of grasp the concept of pain that Jesus endured (the word “excruciating” literally means “out of crucifying”). However the cross has become overwhelmed by it's own symbolism in Christianity that the original purpose of crucifixion seems to be mostly overlooked or forgotten. The reason Roman's would use this execution method was to dissuade others from committing similar crimes.

First off, this punishment was very public. This is an obvious necessity for the execution to be a warning to others. There are historical references to crucifixions in established places outside city gates. The most famous mass display followed the slave revolt lead by Spartacus where 6,000 men were crucified spanning about 125 miles along the Appian Way which was one of the most prominent roads of the time.

Next, the execution was meant to last a long time. That way more people could experience the show of suffering. Depending on the physical state of the person before they were hung, crucifixion could last from hours to days. Pierre Barbet popularized the theory that the placement of a persons arms while on the cross made it difficult to breath resulting in death by asphyxiation. Later experiments by Frederick Zugibe showed that, while incredibly painful, arm placement didn't cause breathing problems. Death was usually from a combination of slow traumas including blood loss, infection, or eventual dehydration.

Lastly, this punishment was incredibly humiliating and dishonorable. Roman citizen were exempt from crucifixion in all but the most extreme cases such as treason. Unlike most artistic representation from the Renaissance, Jesus didn't wear a loincloth on the cross. Criminals were hung in the nude. This was a display of disgrace in front of all passers-by with the humiliation multiplied when the commended person ultimately needed to “releave” themselves (which also attracted insects). Now combine this with the utter mutilation the body had to endure simply in the logistics of crucifixion and the fact that the body usual didn't receive a proper burial or at best it was extremely delayed.

A historic understanding of crucifixion gives you a much better picture of Jesus' immense love for us. He endure such extreme pain and humiliation to save us. Which leads us to the irony of the cross. The Romans meant for the cross to prevent other people from committing the same actions of the criminal. Jesus changed the cross into the ultimate example of sacrificial love for Christians to follow.

If you knew that, contrary to Kubrick, Spartacus was not crucified:

I fought the law and the law lost (Galatians 3:13)

 

From the tract '10 Reasons Jesus Came to Die' by John Piper

#7) So that we would escape the curse of the law

You are a rebel. You robbed 'em blind and got away scot-free. (In medieval Britain a “scot” was a tax paid to the local ruler, so if you were a tax evader you got off scot-free.) How did you pull of the greatest crime know to man? The way any good criminal does it. You let someone else do all the dirty work. You just sat there in the getaway car while some other chump busted open the safe. All you had to do was open the car door when he came running up with piles of loot. You peeled tire getting outta there with the goods while the cops threw your accomplice to the curb. And the best part is you don't have to go into hiding because your partner-in-crime willingly took the fall for it all. Maybe that sounds harsh, but you wouldn't survive a minute in prison. You have sensitive skin. Besides your buddy has some pull in the legal system since it's run by his dad. He'll be back on the streets after a few days.

This may sound like a pretty ridiculous scenario in the modern world of law and order (especially after all the TV spin-offs), but we've broken a law far greater than any government or person could create. The ultimate laws were established by the creator of the universe. Feel free to go through the CliffsNotes of God's Law, the Ten Commandments, and see how far you get before you find one you've broken. If you even get past the first one you're probably lying to yourself. Even if you've lived a better than average life, you can't plead for leniency for just breaking one of the smaller laws. They come as a indivisible group. If you break one, you're guilty of breaking them all (James 2:10). To really drive the point home, God had the Israelites shout a curse upon all who break the law (Deuteronomy 27:26).

Jesus fulfilled our capital punishment and took the curse for us (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). Just remember one of the unwritten street rules: you look after the guy who did jail time for you. Now our responsibility is not to the law, but or redemption is in faith and obedience to Jesus.

If you got a cheesy Valentine's Day card for Jesus:

I Choo-Choo-Choose You!