Narrowing Your Interests

      By Fern Horst

"Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42)

Some time ago I picked up a little pamphlet titled, "How to Have a Personal Revival," by A.W. Tozer.* As I read down through the ten steps, one in particular caught my eye: "Deliberately narrow your interests." In that subsection, Tozer wrote:

"Deliberately narrow your interests. The Jack-of-all-trades is the master of none. The Christian life requires that we be specialists. Too many projects use up time and energy without bringing us nearer to God. If you will narrow your interests God will enlarge your heart."

At first I questioned the wisdom of this advice. Can't we relate to a greater variety of people, the more varied our interests? Don't we become more well-rounded people, the more we are knowledgable about a diversity of subjects? Don't our interests in many things keep us from being bored, and from becoming boring to others?

From a human perspective, there appears to be much value in having a wide range of interests. But they are valuable only when they are pursued under the direction of the Holy Spirit in accordance with God's purpose for our lives. When we realize that only what lasts for eternity is truly of any worth, we also realize how important it is to narrow our interests to only those which God directs us to.

I believe this is part of what Jesus was pointing out to Martha, when she was so perturbed that her sister wasn't helping her in the kitchen. Martha was interested in serving good food to her guests, and that's hardly a fault. But when she let it distract her from what was more valuable - spending time listening to Jesus - it was cause for a gentle rebuke from Him.

So does this mean we drop our interests in sports, crafts, reading, gardening, cooking, cars, traveling, and so on? It may, and it may not. None of those are wrong in and of themselves. But if we are not pursuing them under God's leading and for His purposes, we may be guilty of being distracted from that one thing that is needful, and that is having Jesus as our number one interest.

I have an uncle that enjoyed sports throughout his life. God used that interest to help him connect with people whom he otherwise wouldn't have had an opportunity to get to know. In the process, he helped numerous individuals become interested in the Lord and in attending church with him. In one case, the young man he befriended through sports eventually became a pastor.

Are we also allowing our interests to be directed and used by the Lord? If not, it's time to have a housecleaning of our pursuits. But let's not forget to invite the Holy Spirit to that housecleaning, and allow Him to have the final say about what goes, and what stays.

One final thought: the Bible says in I Corinthians 7 that, "He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband."

Obviously it is not just singles who need to bring their interests under the Lordship of Christ. But in that process, married individuals must also consider how their interests affect their family. An advantage that singles have is that this process is simplified. Not easy, but simplified.

* http://www.osterhuspub.com/tract_detail.php?pr=78&ca=9&rc=

© 2008 Fern Horst

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