Precoccupied

Chris Tiegreen

I have been enjoying a devotional titled Experiencing God's Presence by Chris Tiegreen. I wanted to share his thoughts from his January 19th entry:

What are you preoccupied with? Chances are, at any given moment your mind is focused on a singular issue, interest, or need, and everything else becomes peripheral. Maybe that preoccupation is the biggest item on your to-do list, the biggest problem you face, or the biggest desire of your heart. Whatever it is, it takes up a lot of mental space. Our brains have limited focus.

Our preoccupations usually don't line up with Scripture. The Word continually points us back to worship or praise or some other Kingdom focus, but instead we're distracted by competing demands about careers and relationships and personal plans for the future. In themselves, these things aren't wrong. But we have a way of making them disproportionately large. And our one true focus - God - seems to get pushed out of the way to make room.

Why aren't we more preoccupied with Him? Why don't we wake up each day with one pressing question: how can I love Him well? Why aren't we more intentional about caring for the heart of the Father? Other concerns can drain energy from our primary purpose. Unless we fulfill our primary purpose, none of the rest falls into place or ultimately satisfies us. But if we do fulfill that purpose - if we choose to love God not just in theory but in the largest spaces of our hearts and minds - He becomes more practically and powerfully present in us and with us. He watches over our concerns when we watch over His.

Choose to love and adore Him as your primary preoccupation, and see what He does with the other concerns of your life. He will fight battles, win victories, and resolve issues for those who are focused on Him.

Amen!

You can purchase this devotional on Amazon.