So I run straight towards the goal in order to win the prize

“So I run straight towards the goal in order to win the prize, which is God’s call through Christ Jesus to the life above” (Philippians 3:14)

   The greatest need of Christian life is integrity, commitment and sincerity. No Christian can be successful without being committed to reach his goal. We as Christians do have a high calling from God. God is calling us to live in heavenly places for all coming eternity. He is even calling us to sit upon the throne together with His Son and rule the universe in the coming ages.

   We are not the people of this world. We are not ordinary people. We do not live and strive for earthly gain. We do not strain ourselves to gain earthly recognition and honor. We may or may not receive honor in this world. Our ultimate goal is to be honored amidst the angels in heavenly places.

   Because of this fact we must be keen and careful not to be engaged in unnecessary activities and interests. We loose the price of our high calling sometimes because of our sin but sometimes we loose the reward because of our unnecessary burdens.

   There are many good Christians who want to do many good things. This surely is a snare of the devil. These beloved believers are engaged in so many good activities and ultimately become too busy to pursue the heavenly reward and honor. We must avoid this snare.

   Paul must be our role model even in this regard. He was “running straight to the goal”! There were many things attracting him and calling his attention along the way. But Paul was not distracted. His mind was totally concentrated on one thing. He wanted to get what God had prepared for him.

   Let us follow the example of Apostle Paul. This world has so many attractions, both good and bad. We must stay away from the evil attractions of this world of course but that is not enough! We must also protect ourselves from the seemingly “good activities” which may draw our attention away from the main work entrusted by God to us. Such an attitude is the saturation of divine wisdom. Each one of us should know what exactly is the work Christ wants us to do and dedicate all our time, energy and abilities to complete that work. Let us make up our minds to “run straight to the goal”!