Student Leadership 201: FocusSample

The Fruit Of Your Focus 

When you’re focused on the right things, the proof is in the fruit you produce. It’s why Paul continually challenged his readers to focus on the goodness and grace of God. 

You can have laser-sharp focus, but if you’re focused on the wrong things you’ll reap frustration instead of fruit. Paul wasn’t focused on becoming wealthy or well-known — he was focused on leading people to Christ. 

Paul knew the secret to success when it came to focus — it’s not what you focus on, it’s who you focus on that makes all the difference. 

We live in a world that tells us we should focus on ourselves and our own happiness, but God’s Word says we’re to focus on His Spirit. Paul explained why this matters so much when he wrote Galatians 5:22-23. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. 

When we focus on seeking God, we will naturally develop a spirit that sets us up for success. Who doesn’t want to be around a person who is joyful, loving, patient, and kind? Conversely, when our focus becomes self-centered we produce things like jealousy, anger, anxiety, and drama. When we become self-centered, we become our own worst enemy. 

Paul was able to maintain peace, joy, and faith while sitting in dark and dirty prisons because of who He was focused on. 

As Paul sat on death row, awaiting his execution, he wrote these words…

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 

Paul didn’t just live well as a result of his focus — he died well too. God gave him a significant purpose despite significant sin and Paul didn’t waste that gift of grace. He remained faithful to his calling until the very end because he was fixated on Jesus. 

What does the fruit in your life reveal about your focus right now? What would your life look like if you began to set your eyes on Jesus in the mornings before you scrolled through your phone? What opportunities might you begin to see if you spent some more time in the presence of God? God doesn’t need you to write the Bible like He used Paul to do, but God still needs you to live a story worth telling!