“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth to those things which are before, I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
These verses show us the focus that Paul had in his Christian service. I think that we are at our best when we are focused on what we are doing. I have discovered in my preaching ministry, that to be effective, I have to focus on the subject at hand and close out everything else. When I am focused, even sleeping church members or crying babies cannot make me lose my thought. Being focused will reflect our priorities. Paul wrote: “This one thing I do…” What we are focused on will determine the direction of our lives. If people are focused on pleasure, pleasure and more pleasure, they will spend a major part of their time planning things that will give them pleasure. Paul’s focus was on Jesus Christ. From the time of Paul’s conversion on the Damascus Road, the whole focus of his life became Jesus Christ. If we focus on Jesus, pleasing Him will be the priority of our lives. I think that you will agree that there are a lot of good things that we will do if Jesus is our focus, and a lot of bad things that we will not do if He is our focus. Pause now, and give some deep thought to what you are focused on, and what are your priorities? Being focused will make us look ahead. Paul wrote: “Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before…” If our focus is on the past, we will always live in the past. I can identify with this for I find myself reminiscing on the past sometimes. I look back to when Mary and I were young, when our children were young, or when our grandchildren were young. But one thing I know is that I can’t go back in time, and if I could, I would not find it as satisfying as I thought. We have to live each day, looking before us, finding God’s will for the present and the future. We need to focus on “reaching before.” Don’t always think about what your church was like in the past, but focus on how you can make it better in the future. The same could be said about your life – have a forward look. Focus on doing the right thing today and this will determine the quality of your future. Being focused will make us consistent. Paul wrote: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” “Pressing toward the mark” means that we are focused on what we are doing and are determined to come to a successful end. I think that the ultimate mark that Paul pressed on to was eternal life with Jesus Christ, but with his focus on heaven, his life was of greater quality. Be careful what your goals are because you might actually achieve them. We need to be careful that our consistent aims will lead us to a better life, and that we will help others have a better life. Ask yourself what you are pressing toward today. If you reach the mark that you are pressing for, will it make your life better? Will it make you a better, more loving and caring person? This is an important question. What we are consistent in aiming for will determine the direction of our lives. Considering what is written above, what is the real focus of your life, not what you think it should be. Does Jesus have anything to do with where your focus is? Bro. Joe
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
All
Archives
September 2021
|