I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. – Phil. 3:14
I’m sure we’ve all been in a situation where we get something like a really nice new car, or maybe even a new haircut and its exciting for a while, but then becomes old news. Sometimes it may seem that this is how we get with God, He becomes old news. The bible came into being as God revealed Himself through people and they focused their lives on Him. It is essential that us as believers look beyond the distractions and trials in our own lives and bring the focus back to God. This is something all of us must strive for each day.
Staying focused can be a challenge; we get so caught up in everything going on around us. Sometimes we may want to give up because we are tired, frustrated, or have so many distractions going on that it seems difficult to give everything everything you have to offer at church. But God is saying “Look around!” great heroes of faith didn’t always have it good, great men and women of the bible had struggles as they were out to please God. They did not always achieve everything that they set out to do.
As Christians we are in a constant race — more like a marathon, and it’s easy to get tired along the way. By staying focused on God and grounded in His word we can continue doing what is right for Him, there is a great prize at the end of the road. Great people of faith such as David, Noah, and Abraham are our examples of motivation. We can continue to press on to othe next level by growing in faith ever day!
Remember: We are in Christ who strengthens us! – Phil. 4:13
Staying focused means that we must be willing to lay aside some things. We cannot expect to continue up the stairs on our journey to new levels with a heavy load on our back. Get rid of some stuff! God wants to take us higher, but we are burdened down with many things. Put your trust in God when dealing with large burdens, and remove the small ones within your control. For some of us this may mean becoming less involved in an activity or cutting back on hours at the work place, especially if it is taking away from valuable time with God at church. We have to watch out and make sure that we do not allow other things to draw us away from our precious relationship with Christ. Imagine Jesus coming to meet with you and you’re at home frying chicken and playing video games while you should be at church worshipping Him! There is always going to be sin weighing us down…but the Lord is telling us to lay it aside because it will hold us back from getting to the next level.
The Christian life is a race that we all must run and finish. The unfortunate thing is that many people are not even in the race. Some are jogging, some are walking very slowly, some are sitting idly on the sidelines, and worst of all some are lying down…they have given up on God and dropped out of the race. This is where we must reach out and encourage others we know to get in the race full speed ahead! Don’t let distractions keep you from running the race! It can get hard, but if you stay grounded in the word of God, you will cross that finish line! Some of us may be distracted by others negative talk, behavior, or attitude. Some of us may be distracted by unsupportive friends or family who cannot show us the love of God. Some of us may be distracted because all of the focus is on ourselves. The bible says to be filled with the spirit, not filled with ourselves.
God never fails! The word reminds us to fix our eyes on Jesus. By doing this we learn to see things from HIS perspective, He will never leave or forsake us. So don’t quit and don’t lose heart. Be encouraged, be strong, and don’t fear…God will give you the strength to go on. Keep on running, if you are not in the race — then get in the race!