ARE YOU PULLED IN MANY DIRECTIONS AND STRUGGLING TO ALIGN YOUR PRIORITIES?

SCRIPTURE:
“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil 
will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution 
for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you 
the crown of life.” 
(Revelation 2:10)

MEDITATION:
In our world today, 
much of the world believes in little, nothing, or the wrong things.
Some may rise up for a particular cause, 
but fail to have a lifelong commitment to anything.
Many are a mile wide but only an inch deep.
In other words, they are shallowly involved in a lot of things, 
but not deeply involved in something 
that really matters – like where they will spend eternity.

A lot of things have gripped much of the world, 
like agnosticism, anxiety, emptiness, meaningless, etc.
Our youth are desperately searching 
for a purpose and a meaning in their lives.
They continue to search for fulfillment 
and are frustrated because they cannot find it in sex or drugs.
They look to their parents for an example but many are discovering 
that their parents are not totally committed either.

When we contrast our generation with the Pilgrims 
who sought to establish a society in American, there is a stark difference. 
Those Pilgrims were only an inch wide, but a mile deep.
They were focused on their faith because in many cases, 
that was all they had.
They were certain of what they believed in and why.
They were unswerving in their loyalty 
and passionately dedicated to the God they trusted.

In our world today, we need to dream great dreams, embrace good principles, 
keep hope, but above all, believe in the Christ who alone 
can give total meaning and an ultimate goal to our lives.
We need to reduce our breadth and increase our depth.

The Psalmist tells us to "taste" the Lord.
Taste and see that the Lord is good; 
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. (Psalm 34:8)
He doesn't mean to sample the Lord like you would at a cheese tasting event.
He means that since the Lord has not been involved in your life,
make Him an integral part so you can see how good He is.

Some want to 'sip' Him at times, 
but not make Him a part of their daily nourishment.
This is why we hear some say, "That God stuff is not for me".
They didn't really "taste" the Lord.
It is also the reason we see some Christians drifting away from the Lord 
who were once considered dedicated and faithful.

ACTION:
Are you being pulled in too many directions?
Do you feel you have too many irons in the fire?
Maybe it is time to take a step back, breathe in slowly 
and reduce your width so you can increase your depth 
in order to focus on the One who is really important
and holds the keys to where you will spend eternity.

As Christians, we all have a responsibility to ensure 
that others know our faith is real and we are totally committed to the Lord.
Others need to see that He is our number one priority.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word that provides the path to an 
eternity with You. Forgive me for allowing other things to take a higher 
priority than You, and the negative impact I have had on others. Help me 
to recommit my life to You so that my family and friends know without a 
doubt of how important You are to me. May I always be faithful to my 
belief in You, Lord Jesus.”