Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | May 5, 2010

The Right Focus

Today’s devotion is Luke 8:19-21.
 
“19  And His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd. 
                                           
 20  And it was reported to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.”
                                         

 21  But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”  Luke 8:19-21.

Throughout Scripture and our common experiences, we see the temptation to focus on ourselves and what we should do, rather than focus on God and what He has done.  Accordingly, one could be tempted to read the Scripture for today and think:  “I must focus on myself and do a better job on hearing God’s Word and do a better job of doing it, in order to be that mother or brother of Jesus!” 

The crowd following Jesus was so tempted.  “Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?”  Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”  John 6:28-29.  Notice how Jesus turned the focus from man to God.  Notice how Jesus turned the focus from the works of man to “the work of God”.  Notice how Jesus turned the focus from man exercising his will-power to somehow gain faith to God giving faith as His work. 

Thus, the key to the Scripture today is not to focus on ourselves and what we should do, rather than focus on God and what He has done.  Accordingly, we have the right focus:  “If I am Jesus’ mother or brother, then I will hear the word of God and I will do it!”  

We further think:  “I cannot make myself into Jesus’ mother or brother.  Only God can make that relationship.”  We search Scripture and meditate on God and His work in making these relationships.

Sigh!  There are 804 verses in the Bible which has in it either the word “mother” or “brother”.  But, we think that the Psalms contains more short conclusions and declarations of God’s work compared to historical accounts in most of the rest of Scripture (at least in the Old Testament).  So, we start there.

We may not find Scripture as simple as “God has made me to be a mother or brother of Jesus.”  But, we find the following which indicates the close family relationship that we have with God:

Psalm 22:10
Upon You I was cast from birth;  You have been my God from my mother‘s womb.
 
Psalm 27:10
For my father and my mother have forsaken me, But the LORD will take me up.
 
Psalm 71:6
By You I have been sustained from my birth;  You are He who took me from my mother‘s womb;  My praise is continually of You.
                                 
Psalm 131:2
Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;  Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me.
 
We think:  “Hmmm!  These verses are interesting and comforting, but I have not found exactly for which I am looking.”
  
We think:  “Is not there some Scripture about Christ being the “firstborn among many brethren”?  And, we find –   
 
Romans 8:29
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
 
So, what is the chain of events following this work of God?
 
“and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”  Romans 8:30. 
 
We think about the term “redeemer kinsman”.  And, we think of Boaz, an example of what Christ is to us.
 
We think of “children of God”, and there are so many verses.  But, one is John 1:12-13:  “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
 
God turned us from “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3) to “children of God” (John 1:12).  “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”  Ephesians 2:4-7. 
 
In conclusion, are we going to focus on the Law (hearing the word of God and doing it)?  Or, are we going to focus on the promise that we will be heirs of God (mother, brother, child of God)?
 
Let us consider Romans 4:13-15.  “For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.  For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified;  for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation.”  Romans 4:13-15. 

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