I want a different focus

God’s grace has come. That grace can save everyone. It teaches us not to live against God and not to do the bad things the world wants to do. It teaches us to live on earth now in a wise and right way—a way that shows true devotion to God. We should live like that while we are waiting for the coming of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. He is our great hope, and he will come with glory. (Titus 2:11-13)

Grace has come, so live by doing what is right and wise. The world needs to see us living in true devotion to God, not ourselves. What does that true devotion look like? I think it may resemble choosing to live with others in mind, not always focusing on ourselves. What does it mean to live against God? Sometimes it means we choose to do or say things that will hurt another, but it could just mean we don't put him first in our choices.

When we put Christ first in our lives, it may shift our priorities more than just a little bit. It can change our whole world. Would we choose to stream endless hours of shows while we choose to spend only two minutes in hurried prayer daily? Would we choose to ignore the pain of someone who is experiencing some loss, or put down our agenda to meet even one of their needs? The more we experience grace, the more we see the needs around us.

God gives us a heart for others, as it does not come naturally to us. We might do an occasional nice deed, but when Christ is in the center of our lives, gracedefinesmore than the occasional good deed. It defines our words, actions, and even our thoughts. It gives us hope where others see little hope. It isn't a baseless hope, though. It is a hope based in the evidence of God's love. The evidence? Grace! Grace actually teaches us to live with new focus, impacting our choices.

Every time we receive grace, it is an opportunity to share grace with others who are in need of that same hope. God never expected us to hoard grace. It is meant to be given away time and time again. Maybe grace is needed, but we seldom see it as deserved when we are looking at life through selfish and worldly eyes. Just saying!