Razor-Sharp Focus

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 3:14, NKJV)

Watching or engaging in sports competitions we note: the preparations of the space where the event is to be held, for example the tracks for races;  the anxiety of the competing teams as the time to take part in the event draws near, some kneel to pray, others go to secluded places for quiet peace, others pace up and down.  All this is in an effort to be mentally and emotionally ready for the challenge they are engaging in.  The spectators and sponsors are not left behind, the excitement is palpable and the atmosphere is filled with all sorts of sounds and cheers.  Discussions on the rewards of winning, the trophy and all what goes with it are rife in the lips of all.  The focus of all is on the win, all eyes and minds look out for who will win and what they need to do to win the competition.  Such moments carry a lot of expectations and emotions, some which will be expressed with ringing shouts of joy for the winners while others recoil in the loss.  Either way, the cheer and goodwill demonstrated during these events is refreshing.

Our lives are very much like the races that we watch.  For each day we live, we take part in the race of our lives.  If this be true, then like the sportsmen and women above, we need to have a goal that we are moving towards.  The goals for the athletes is in winning and making greater progress from their last mark.  In the same way, we have individual goals that we set for our lives, some defined in terms of months, years or whatever duration.  As the year begun, many set what is commonly referred to as resolutions, ‘new year resolutions’, goals of what we want to achieve.  These goals are usually noble as each person aims at achieving something that takes him forward.  Our reference verse refers to Paul’s goal as the prize he would receive for having faithfully followed Christ.  In defining this goal, he says that he presses on and this suggests to me that he has hurdles to overcome, he is pushing through some things just like the athlete has to push through tough training sessions and at times dietary requirements in preparation for the win.  Brethren, our goals also call for us to push through challenges along the way while keeping a focus on our goal.  It is possible for one to be pushing through things each day but not achieve his goal, the reason being, he was not focused.  Many people get very busy and feel exhausted but fail to achieve the desired results because they were not focused, their actions were not targeted.  The efforts though well meaning produce nil results because they missed on the target.  Apostle Paul’s shares with us the fear of possibly not achieving one’s goal.  He tells us that he continually keeps himself under check, lest after he has preached to others, he himself fails to make it to heaven (1 Corinthians 9:27).  This is a scary thing and it is in wisdom that Paul draws our attention to the fact that it is not just being busy that helps to reach our goals but that we must maintain a continuous focus in everything that we do.  Our actions each day should feed to our goal and anything that fails to support the goal we have set, should be seen for what it is a distraction to be avoided.  Whether for our eternal goal or for the natural goals we set, may we maintain a dedicated focus, and by the help of the Holy Spirit press on through any blockages along our paths so that we do not miss our prize. Beloved, move on to win.

Thoughts:

What goals are you pursuing?

What could distract you from achieving your goals?

How will you maintain your focus?

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