Let’s Be Focused (by guest Dr. A. K. Lama)

Maybe you don’t have resolutions, but have you considered what is worth doing this New Year?

Yes, we love food, friends, and fun. We don’t mind spending time and money on these things. It’s easy to spend time and resources on immediate pleasures and dismiss the future. We can face it as it comes. We are guilty of adopting a “one day at a time” mentality, tending to dislike being serious about thinking or planning for our future, much less about the future of others.

Our present reality can be consuming, causing us to become narrow-minded. Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, demonstrated this behavior when he rebuked Jesus saying, “Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!” (Matthew 16:22). Jesus corrected Peter’s self-centered perspective by replying, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it” (Matthews 16:25). The mission of Jesus was to go to the cross so that he would open the door of redemption for others. Jesus remained focused on His ultimate purpose in the future and not solely on the present moment. He saw the glorious side of the cross and was willing to embrace the agonizing pain He would endure. Peter, however, did not see beyond the here and now.

Time is passing. It is beyond our control. We should not disregard the days, weeks, months, and years ahead. Can we leave them in God’s hands? Sure, we can. But God would like to use us, to work in and through us, to impact the future of this world. He blesses us abundantly and wants us to use our gathered intelligence to focus on productive efforts. He does not want us to be scattered in our current living of life and become ineffective in the future. Despite being diversified with many worthwhile projects, perhaps He prefers for us to master at least one thing that matters for His Kingdom.

What could that one thing be that sparks interest in our body and mind? How can I best direct my attention and focus to give it my best shot in using my time productively this year? Can I dedicate myself to that one cause of impact that could bring potential benefit to others while also bringing honor and glory to God? Maybe it is learning music, developing a new skill, or dedicating oneself to Christian service – anything for the sake of serving others in Jesus’ Name.

My wife and I have found our focus of impact for 2024. We are focused on building an epicenter where young men and women will be trained, shaped, and formed to obey and serve Jesus Christ in South Central Asia for at least the next 150 years. This is the legacy we want to leave behind. But it is no small goal. The project will cost $1.5 million. We are grateful to God that He has provided 60% of that goal thus far. This year, we intend to focus on raising the remaining funds for this project. We understand that building this epicenter may not provide instantaneous results, but investing our time and resources in a legacy in which hundreds and thousands of people are impacted for decades to come is worth the monumental effort to us. We are prayerfully looking for partners who will share this burden of vision with us. It takes focus and farsightedness. For more information, you may visit www.tlausa.org.

Consider what might be your legacy. Wouldn’t you have a sense of satisfaction to leave a legacy for future generations? Are you willing to begin to focus on that this year? The result may not be immediate. It may be small today, but you can place your focus on the things that have the potential to become BIG one day.

Success is not measured in terms of money but rather on what we did with the time we had on this earth. Value what you have; use your material blessings in the best possible way. With prayer and hard work, you can turn your coal into gold. Dream big, work hard, and give your best. God will surely turn your humble effort into manifold blessings.

Happy New Year 2024!