(by Phil Elsworth of World Ministry Fellowship)

​​​​​​​Have you ever thought about the implications of 1 John 3:2? "Now, we are children of God" tells us of the present but “Focus” determines the future. The Apostle John teaches us two important truths about "Focus."

We shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.

You will become like what you focus on. Or, to put it another way, you will begin to take on the characteristics of where you focus your attention. Have you ever noticed that people who focus on handling money (budgets, investments, etc.) tend to have more money? People who focus on music become the best musicians. In the same way, when musicians lose their focus, their musical edge begins to suffer. Knowing that can help a person improve in any area.

My wife and I just came home from a cruise with our daughter and son-in-love. In short, our son-in-love is involved in some very technical research. One morning, about six days into the trip, in the midst of fascinating historical tours, beautiful scenery, and shopping, he told our daughter, "I need to go spend some time thinking science." He understood that distractions, though fun, interesting, and educational, must not be allowed to overcome his primary life calling.

That is why Christians are called to regularly spend time in God's Word, to focus on Jesus. We don't become like Jesus through our intellect or even our experiences. We become like Jesus through "seeing" Him as He really is, which leads me to another important point.

We currently don't see Jesus as He really is. The Apostle Paul says it this way:

1 Corinthians 13:12 - For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known.

Hopefully, we see Him more clearly than previous generations, but we still have some misunderstandings about some finer points of His character and ways. People who see a "legalistic" Jesus become legalistic. People who see a loving Jesus become more loving. People who see an angry Jesus become angry people. People who see a generous Jesus become more generous.

The more we study God's word and spend time in prayer, the clearer we see the “REAL” Jesus, not the religious Jesus, or the legalistic Jesus, or the "no standards" Jesus. As we learn to see Jesus through scripture, we see more clearly how He acted, what He really said (in context), how He responded to ungodly people, rejection, being misunderstood, and how He responded to overwhelming adulation. But, even with all that, John tells us that there will be some aspects of Jesus that we miss and we won't have quite right until He appears and we see Him face to face. Then, we will be fully like Him, free from prejudice, religious tradition, and misinterpreted experiences.

When we see Him just as He really is (in Heaven, face to face) we shall be like Him because we become like that which we focus on!