Time and Focus

For behold, the Lord is coming out of his place, and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains will melt under him, and the valleys will split open, like wax before the fire, like waters poured down a steep place. _{Micah 1:3,4}

There is some amazing imagery in the Bible, giving us incredible pictures of the powerful nature of the presence of the Lord. The mountains melt like wax under his feet: Judgement was (and is) coming, and just like wax set before a fire, or water poured from a great height, you cannot stop the process once it begins. Micah’s warning from the Lord could not have been any clearer – If you don’t want to face the consequences of your actions then turn back now.

Micah’s warning had gone out to both Israel and Judah, for they were on a slippery slope of idolatry, having incorporated so much paganism into their worship. They had not taken down ‘the high places’ which Solomon had built for his pagan wives, which triggered the slow decline of the Israelite people, and the fractured relationship with Yahweh.

God’s word was not assembled to fit into our lives; our lives were created to fit into his word. When our focus on God gets disrupted, the truth of his word can get distorted. False thinking can creep in slowly, and given time, it spreads like a disease. Our family, our friends, our community, all need the unadulterated truth. If we try to make God’s word acceptable and pleasing to society, it easily becomes a slippery slope. The more we try to love the world by conforming to it, the further we stray from truly loving God and displaying His ways.

For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God. Micah 4:5

I believe we need to continually check our lives for idols because they are not always immediately obvious. What is it that holds your focus and demands your time? God’s desire for us is that we become conformed to the image of his Son, and that is only possible when we prioritise him with our time and focus.

Guard your heart at all times and let nothing fracture your relationship with the Lord. Continually seek the help of the Spirit to remain faithful to the only God who is steadfastly faithful to you.