When I was a boy, my parents made it a point to know my friends. I had fishing friends, baseball friends, and other buddies, including those from church. They knew all my friends. They made it a point to know my friends because they knew that the people I spent time with would influence me. I’m grateful that my parents knew my friends, and if you grew up with caring parents, your parents knew your friends too. Why? Because they knew that where you spend your time influences who you become.
When you take this truth and apply it to your relationship with the Lord, you find that the more time that you spend with the Father, the more influence He has on your life. The more time you spend thinking on the Father, the greater you reflect Him.
Let me explain. This principle of influence applies to your spiritual life, shaping you to mirror the Father’s heart.
Why Focus on the Father?
Spending time with the Father transforms you. Philippians 4:8 says, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” When you focus on the Father, you fill your mind with the things of God because it shapes the way you think.
Thinking on The Father
To those who want to be more influenced by the Father each day, let me offer a practical way to bring this about. Think on Him. You become what you think about. This is why it is important to focus on Jesus. The more time you spend in the Presence of the Father, the more you look like Jesus. Remember, Jesus spent all of His time focused on the Father, and as a result, He reflected the Father. “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature . . .” (Hebrews 1:3).
Think for a moment what it means to radiate the glory of God. “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God” (Exodus 34:29). The more time spent with the Father, the more you radiate His presence. Because Jesus is “the exact imprint” of the nature of the Father, and He only did what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19), when we focus on what Jesus said and did, we see the heart of the Father.
What Dominates Your Thinking
Whatever dominates your thinking determines your behavior. Jesus thought about the Father all the time, and as a result, that choice determined what He said and did. He made it a point to meet with Him daily. He lived with purpose. Your approach to living for Christ has to be purposeful. Passive Christianity is like being a dandelion in a wind storm. The winds of life will determine your destination unless you are planted. Plant your thoughts on Him. For example, choosing kindness over anger in a tough moment shows His influence in your actions.
Believers cannot afford not to make the Word a part of their daily lives. It helps keep you focused. I’m not just talking about “daily devotions”. I’m talking about placing scripture on your cell phone’s lock-screen and writing scriptures on index cards to hide around the house or in your spouse’s car. Surround yourself with the Word, and share with your friends and family members what the Lord has been showing you. When the Word dominates your thinking, when you commune with the Lord throughout each day, you will be like one holding a tilted body mirror; when people look at you, they will see the Father because you reflect Him.
Living a Life Focused on the Father
How do you make focusing on the Father a daily habit? Start each day by talking to Him. Intentionally stay focused. Talk about Him and His Word. Engage His Presence throughout the day, and when life starts to pull you away, take a moment to recognize that He is with you. Stay focused.