Where is Your Focus?

Duane Vander Klok

Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 19:4

Scripture tells us that the Church is the ‘Bride’ of Christ. Have you ever thought about yourself as a ‘Bride’? For some of us, specifically the men out there, this may be a difficult thing imagine. So often, when we hear the words ‘Bride,’ ‘Groom,’ and ‘Marriage,’ we get a stereotypical picture in our mind. We begin to imagine a woman in a white dress and a man in a tuxedo. Yet marriage is so much more than this Hollywood scene. It is an eternal covenant relationship that stretches, challenges, and refines every part of you to become a better version of yourself.

Every single day there are things in the world that are seeking to pull our attention away from God. You see, one of the dictionary definitions of the word, “Married,” is to be “closely combined or linked.” We can become married to our jobs, to money, and even to our own pride. We begin to idolize and focus on these things so much, that we become linked to it and allow it to become part of our identity. These things then pull us away from God, and down a path of sadness, depression, and sin.

Even then though, God loves us and continues to pursue us. He is seeking an eternal covenant relationship with each one of us no matter our sins and past mistakes. Scripture tells us that we all fall short of the glory of God. Yet even then, God stepped out of Heaven, lived, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again to show us the right way to live in relationship with Him.

This week, let’s ask God to reveal what we have become ‘married’ to that takes our attention away from Him. Let’s begin to remove the idols from our lives so that we can better live in an intimate relationship with Him.