Looking Ahead

By: Wendy Sanders

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” Revelation 4:9-11

When those elders placed their crowns before the Lord, they didn't waste time comparing what they had done against what the others had done. They were focused solely on God because He alone is worthy to receive worship and glory. In our modern world many people get entangled by the trap of comparison, and it can happen in many different areas of life. For example, social media is an area where people look first at others, then look at themselves, and end up making unfair comparisons.

Following Jesus can be challenging but following Him doesn't include looking around and measuring our progress against everyone else's! We can avoid comparison and stay encouraged by fixing our eyes on Jesus.

Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. Proverbs 4:25-27

Christ follower, find rest by focusing on Christ! Spend time with Jesus in the quietness and in worship, sitting (symbolically) at the foot of His throne. Then, praise your Lord like those twenty-four elders did in Revelation. Communication with God is His special gift for us. When God speaks to us, it's personal and individual. Spending quality time with Jesus is how we find strength, gain wisdom, and get direction for our steps.

This year, don't worry about what other Christ followers are doing, focus your attention on the path God has prepared specifically for you!