Keeping Focus
The duty of a watchman is to keep apprised of what is going on and determine if anything is threatening to those who have employed him. If the appearance of trouble comes, the alarm is sounded. Action can be taken and disaster may be avoided. If, however, the watchman becomes distracted so he no longer is surveying the situation but is simply enjoying the moment, a threat may go undetected and harm happens. A watchman must always keep focus! Vigilance is required.
When I worked at a school I was required to be the clock keeper for basketball games. You can’t get so involved in the game that you forget to stop or start the clock when required. If the clock is not kept diligently people get agitated; really agitated, really fast! I speak of experience. When I got more involved in the game than in keeping the clock…. well, use your imagination.
The Lord calls us to keep focus on His purposes for His church. We should not get so distracted that we forget Whom we serve and why. The world has a lot of distracting elements out there. Not only is there the individual enticements that beckon to our interests, but also sports, politics, unrest, religion and irreligion and many more. Some of these get our attention. We need to take note of our surroundings, but do not get lost in the surroundings! Jesus says we will be blessed if we are found to be watching, keeping focus, on the important things of the Kingdom when He returns and not be found distracted by the earthly enticements.
As we continue in this year let us keep vigilance for the mission of the Gospel. Regardless of what we see in the world, let us keep our eyes focused on Christ and the Kingdom of God. -- Ben