None of Your Beeswax

If you’ve read or listened to any of my past devotionals, you’ve probably noticed that I LOVE The Message translation of the Bible.

And if you don’t know much about this translation, it’s said that, “The Message combines the authority of God's Word with the cadence and energy of conversational English.” Which means, The Message is a version of the Bible that reads most closely to the way we actually speak.

Don’t you love this combination? Authority and energy. Um, yes, please!

When reading today’s scripture in Luke 13:18-35, The Message translation of verse 23 tells us that a “bystander” asks Jesus how many people will be getting into Heaven.

Now, in many of our popular English translations, Jesus’ response to this man’s question, in Luke 18:24, reads like this:

NIV: “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.”

ESV: “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”

KJV: “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.”

NLT: “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail.”

BUT! But, but, but my friends.

Here’s how Jesus’ response to the question of how many people will get into Heaven differs when you read the same verse in The Message translation:

“Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires your total attention.”

- Luke 18:24, MSG

What a difference, am I right?!

I can feel Jesus’ authority and energy all over verse 24 when reading it in this different translation. Can you?

It’s like He’s saying, not just to that bystander in the crowd, but directly to you and to me, right here, right now: focus on me. Look at me.

It’s none of your beeswax what anyone else is doing, where anyone else is called, or how life looks for anyone else. Give me your attention. Yours. I need it all. Ultimately, that’s the only way to Me.

Gosh, friends, I needed this reminder from Jesus just as badly as those in His actual audience that day, two thousand years ago.

I was recently overthinking a situation and how to approach it. My mind was analyzing every possible outcome, worrying about how those around me were doing their jobs, and even how they were running their own lives.

Have you ever experienced this? Being overly occupied with how others are doing something, letting that distract you from how you are going about things? Please tell me I’m not alone in this, haha.

But being concerned with how other people are behaving or how others’ lives are turning out is not our place, is it? In this scripture, Jesus reminds His audience of that day and definitely us, in modern day, that the most important thing is to trust in His authority and give Him our full energy.

So, can you?

Today, can you, “Put your mind on your life with God”?  

Today, can you give Him…“your total attention”?

Worrying about who’s getting into Heaven is not where Jesus is advising us to spend our time. Not then, not now. It’s not our job. Simply being with God, is. With our full attention and all of our energy, trusting in God’s authority from one moment to the next.

Wherever you are right now, tell Jesus you trust Him. Tell God He has your full attention today.

And while it’s none of my beeswax, haha, I pray you meet God in a brand new way today as you trust in His authority and energy.

Love you!

Kyle Moss

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