THURSDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER

26TH MAY 2022

ACTS 18:1-8

PSALM 98:1-4

JOHN 16:16-20

FOCUSED

Today’s first reading records that Paul left Athens and went to Corinth and continued preaching and testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus but they opposed and reviled him prompting him to shake out his garments and say to them,” Your blood be upon your heads. I am innocent from now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

Who were the Gentiles? To put it simply, the term Gentile describes any and every person of non-Jewish heritage. The Old Testament often describes the Gentiles as tribes who worship other gods. Representing other nations, they were often hostile towards Israel, fought with her and exiled her people.

Is it not interesting to note that the message of Jesus Christ is

taken to the Gentiles who were highly loathed and considered unworthy in the presence of God, and by this we are told that many of them believed and were baptized?

We are able to notice many of the Corinthians hearing Paul and believing and getting baptized because Paul was focused.

Despite being reviled and opposed, he still knew that he had a mission to accomplish, this mission was made known to Ananias, a believer in Acts 9:15-16 in which the Lord said to him concerning Paul,” Go, because I have chosen him to serve me, to make my name known to the Gentiles and Kings and to the people of Israel. And I myself will show him all that he must suffer for my sake.”

If Paul was able to do his God given work to the Gentiles because he was focused, we can see that focus is a positive attribute that is instrumental in one’s faith and generally in

life. Focus enables you to devote more time and concentration to your work and achieve greater quality and continue sticking to your lane and to your job description.

The reviling and opposition that Paul faced could have deterred him from going on with preaching but it is not the case, he just left a place where he was not welcomed and goes to another place where people are ready to listen to the Word of God because he was focused.

The focus that Paul had enabled him to take ownership of the work God had given him, though the work of God involves team work, he first of all decides to do it alone without bothering his hosts not because he did not want help but it is because of his focused attention.

Energy flows where the attention goes. When you focus on something, it expands. Let us not forget that Paul preached to the Gentiles who were considered hostile yet they warmly received him. We all have in us what we call the energy of faith, how we use it makes faith move.

Focus will help you discover the path that you don’t even know exists; who could have thought of the Gentiles being converted?

Most of us would prefer cool and easy situations, Paul had already been rejected by the Jews, the Gentiles were hostile to the Jews and Paul was a Jew, yet he took a path many would not follow.

When you focus on problems, you will be distracted and fearful but when you focus on possibilities as a person of faith you will have more and Paul focused on the possibility of preaching to the Gentiles.

Paul’s focus gives us the opportunity to do what we have always thought to be non-viable and to have a plan B and that faith is striving to go to the uncharted waters and see the faith that is there.