The focus of my life: Me or God?

Too often I find myself looking at life from a "me-focused" perspective:
"What should I do?"
"What can I do?"
"What should I not have done?"

This tends to make me frustrated and worried, because it's a law-based perspective. I'm constantly putting myself down from not living up to my own expectations.

Obviously, living with this perspective is not the way to be content and joyful in life. Rather, I need to keep my focus on Christ:
What has he done for me?
What is he doing in my life right now?
What has he promised for my future?


In terms of my eternal state ("What has God promised for my future?"), that's something for which I fully rely on God, not on myself. I have been made of a child of God by his grace and saved through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ, which is a gift of God. My eternal salvation is not in question, and it is secure in Christ.

It's the day-to-day life that's a struggle, not my hope for the future. Satan tries to tear me (all of us) down: "You're such a terrible person. You never get anything right. God is so disappointed in you."

To counter this, we get to live in the knowledge that we are forgiven. God gladly and willingly forgives all our mistakes--even the ones we might think are unforgivable--and helps us turn away from our sins, repent, and turn back to him.

When I feel like I'm a "terrible person" or a "bad Christian," I remind myself that God sometimes works in and through me despite me! The Holy Spirit, living within us, enables us to live a life that's obedient to God and that reflects his love to those around us.

The ability to live a "good Christian life" is not something we find within ourselves. It's something God gives us freely, as a father gives good gifts to his children.

We cannot trust our feelings in this. Whether I "feel" like I'm a terrible person or not, that doesn't change what God has done for me. Our forgiveness is not based on our feelings. Neither is our salvation. We are saved and forgiven because of God's great love for us, shown in Christ's death and resurrection.

This is what I want to be the focus of my life!

Not me. Not my actions.

God--and his great love for me.

God is Number One

Mondays are Marriage Mondays at Living in the Light.  If you're a new visitor (especially if you're visiting from the Challenge)--welcome!!  I'm so happy you're here.  Check out my "About Me" page HERE, some of my favorite posts on marriage HERE, and my two most popular posts HERE and HERE.

If I was ever asked to give just one tip for making marriage great, it would be this:

Make God #1.

In your marriage, in your life, in your thoughts and actions.

When God gave the Ten Commandments, he began like this:

And God spoke all these words, saying,

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

“You shall have no other gods before me." Genesis 20:1-3

Having "no other gods" doesn't simply mean not worshiping false idols or the gods of other religions.  It means not putting anything in one's life before God--and that includes one's spouse!

In the book of Matthew, a lawyer questioned Jesus and asked

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he [Jesus] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:36-40

What are we to do above everything?  Love God with all our "heart, soul, and mind."  In other words, with everything we have in us.  And second, we are to love those around us as we love our spouses.

I don't want this to be all about what we do.  Because ultimately, life isn't about us.  Marriage isn't about us.  It's about God.  Life is a gift from him.  Marriage is, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest gifts God's given us in this life.  In marriage, God has given us a picture of the kind of sacrificial, selfless love he has for us.  Of course, marriage doesn't always perfectly reflect that love--in fact, no marriage is ever perfect.  That's because all marriages are between two sinful human beings.  But God shows us grace, and blesses us despite our failures and shortcomings.  He continues to pour out his love abundantly on us and our spouse, even when we don't deserve it.  And God's love for us enables us to love one another.

The best thing any person can do for their marriage is to focus on God.  Our spouse will fail us, and we will fail them.  But God is always faithful, and we can trust that when we do fail, he will forgive us and renew us and our marriage.

What do you think?  Is this a helpful suggestion for marriage?  What's the one best tip for marriage you would give? 

Linking with: The Better Mom, The Modest Mom, Yes They're All Ours, What Joy is Mine, The Alabaster Jar, A Proverbs 31 Wife

{Focus} On the Truly Important

Three days in, having my morning schedule has been a great thing.  I've read my Bible three days running (for me, this is an accomplishment!), had time to make and eat a good breakfast, spent an hour blogging, and not been rushing to get out the door.  It's wonderful.  However, this morning I "slept in" an hour and a half late, because last night it was more important to spend time with my hubby than to go to bed early.  As a result, I didn't have time to do the blogging I planned to do early in the day--but it was SO worth it.

It was just a good reminder for me that I need to be careful not to let my own plans get in the way of my highest priorities.  Sure, I want to blog every day, but like last night, there are times when more important things need to take precedence.

Of course, there are things I don't want to compromise on--daily Bible study, for example.  But my husband is my highest priority after God, and it's important that I don't let my plans or pride get in the way of putting him first.

In my first volleyball class yesterday (my last general education requirement), I realized some things about myself that apply in all areas of my life:

-I need to be willing to admit when I'm doing something wrong, or when I can't do something without help.
-I can't take offense when others help or correct me.
-It's healthy to be able to laugh at myself.
-I don't have to worry about what other people think about me.

Perhaps I'll do more posts in the future on the topic of "What volleyball has taught me about life."  Maybe in a couple of months. :)

Instead of focusing on myself (my own desires/feelings/pride), the most important thing is for me to focus on those around me.  I won't do it perfectly all the time, but I can do my best with God's help, and in doing so strive to become more like Jesus.