For many years I have quietly suffered over the divisions in the body of Christianity. It seems such a shame that people, having the freedom to focus on anything they choose, prefer to direct their efforts not at the One whose name they use, but on any and all other issues that must pass before their consideration.
How tragic it is to kneel before the throne and at the feet of our savior, yet have our minds and attention drawn to anything other than Him.
We read of division even in the days when Jesus still walked among us. In John 12:10-11 people were leaving the church to follow and believe in Jesus. However in this case it seems the change is a good one. People saw the inadequacies in their religion and set their hope upon none other than Jesus Christ.
I am sure we would do well to do the same. I am not pushing for dissention in the ranks but rather a turning of heart back to the very person of Christ. Should we each one make a genuine effort to draw a little closer, should we make Him just a little more important, I am sure in our directing ourselves to Him, we would become far less concerned with who is right and who is wrong.
There is a wonderful result wrapped in the effort of drawing near to Jesus. In the process of seeking and finding, when our attention is directed toward Him in all honesty, we have more of His nature upon us in those moments than on any other moments throughout our lifetime. Could it be that Jesus referred to this condition when He says, that He is the Light?
The same magical process happens when one turns from darkness. He changes the direction of his gaze from that blackness and exchanges it for looking towards where there is light. In the light we can see, in the darkness where our attention was before there were only shadows. But with Jesus it goes much further.
When you turn the attention of your heart from the technicalities and issues of men and truly behold Jesus you care not about the shadows any more. Your attention is in trying to see. You look towards the Light of the world and that light helps you to see. You begin to see with the heart and with the soul. The discoveries made there are far more valuable than those made merely by reason or intellect, although they are also very satisfying to the intellect as well. What is more is that this light does not remain outside and distant to the viewer. Being spiritual in nature, it has the ability to enter to the very core of the beholder. There it works miracles of change within the life and soul of the one who has turned so completely from the seeing of shadows, to the gazing at Christ.
Belief, as Jesus used the term, was never an intellectual conclusion. For a person to believe in Jesus, they needed to lift up their understanding and say that something grand and far beyond our experience with normal mankind is here with us. They could not explain nor were concerned with explaining. People merely rested on the character of God and took this gentle, God fearing and God directed miracle maker at His word and deed. Jesus was with them, they could see His love and concern for even the poorest and unhealthy persons around. To turn their attention towards Jesus and to marvel over His mysterious wonder, was far more satisfying than to continue following the norms of their current religion.
What was true for them can and is true for us today. When we take our attention from the worldy issues and even the controversial religious ones, we can achieve the same sort of satisfaction. Let our hearts and our thoughts lift past all those things and gratefully rest upon the character of Christ. Let us use those precious moments not in waste but rather in seeking and beholding none other than Him.
Many will argue that this is what we are doing current religion. We have all the answers and are more correct today than anyone else has ever been. But by nature, one who is turned so to dispute such a topic, has had to turn away from that Light to do this. We should direct ourselves so fully and so continually towards that Light, that we only see and only concern ourselves with what we see there. In doing this, it is Jesus´ concerns that fill our eyes and Jesus´ responses towards the ailing world around us that will fill our vision.
We can take this further and perhaps arrive at the cause of insufficiency in the religions of our day. Whatever fails to bring Jesus and His Father more completely into the focus of our attention and throw us further dependent on the Divine, likewise falls short value to us. To dwell on the Lord is life and to look sideways in any direction is not to look forward.
It is time we focused our attention back upon Jesus Christ. It is time we took our eyes and ears off of each other long enough to hear the voice of Jesus. He is still speaking. He did not live only for a time and want men to settle an issue in their heads so that they may go about their business again with a clean conscious. No, Jesus called us to Him. He lives and would commune with His sheep. We need to bring our attention back to Him alone. Leave the quarreling to the wolves and concern ourselves with His sweet voice.
Take every effort to make Him more important in every thought, every intention and of every moment. Seek to connect yourself so fully to Him that you actually live and breathe each moment in communion with Him. This should be our goal and the only thing worthy of our attention. This is what it is to believe on Him as this is what He asked of us.
He will put His seal of approval on the one who goes this far. You will not need the reassurance of any fellow traveler. You will not need the guidance of another human being nor any church organization. You will have tuned yourself to the Author and Finisher of your faith and will make Him the center of your religion.
Scott W
Searching For Christ 
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