Pressing On

Philippians 3:¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

This continues to bother me. It has always bothered me. There are such diverse competing voices on this subject.

How do you reconcile "walking by faith" with 'goal setting'?

I keep coming back to this passage written by the Apostle Paul to the Christians in Philippi encouraging them to do as he is doing and "...press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Eternal life! Eternal life, that's the prize for which we are called heavenward in Christ Jesus. Our goal is to 'win' eternal life.

"What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world but lose his soul?" That question was posed by Jesus.

So...any goal that is distracting from that is perilous to our soul.

The easy way to live life is to set goals: short term, one year, two year, five year and long term goals. That's the easy way. All we have to do is keep our goals in focus and we hopefully will end up where we have decided we want to be in the distant future.

There is a real potential problem with that though...what if where we have decided we want to be in the distant future isn't where God wants us to be?

Why does the Bible talk so much about 'walking with God,' 'walking by faith and not by sight,' 'leaning not unto our own understanding,' listening to the 'still, small voice - this is the way, walk ye in it...'?

We are to be 'laying up treasures in heaven,' Jesus said. We are to be living as citizens of a different kingdom...the Kingdom of God. If we march to the drumbeat of this world we will miss the riches of His Kingdom and the joys of being His active representatives of that Kingdom while we 'live and breath and have our being' here during our short lifetime.

It is to be our 'goal' to be found 'pleasing to God.' Let Him direct your paths - daily. Let God supply your moments, your joys, your opportunities, heal your past and prepare your future.

Walk with God and make sure of your goal to win the prize for which God has called you heavenward in Christ Jesus.