“There are days when the small tick called sin penetrates our skin and gets the best of us. Pursuing the goal of knowing Christ seems illusive then — one step forward, two steps back. . . . So, what do you do when you go backward? You get up and you keep moving forward toward the goal.”- Randy Frazee
“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then who are mature should take such a view of things.”- Philippians 3:13-15 (NIV)
In Principle #14: Focus on the Future of The Joy Challenge, Randy Frazee notes that Paul addresses the second part of his strategy to know Christ better. He strains toward what is ahead. Therefore, to advance in the knowledge of Jesus requires intense concentration and effort. Like a runner with head fixed frontward, eyes fastened on the goal.
After golfer Jimmy Walker won the PGA Championship in 2016, he and his wife both contracted Lyme disease from a tick bite. Jimmy experienced flu-like symptoms and brain fog. So, Jimmy lives with Lyme disease through no fault of his own.
However, although Jimmy and his wife can do nothing about the past, there’s one productive option. To keep pressing forward.
In conclusion, Randy talks about two reasons why Paul’s strategy increases our joy despite adverse circumstances:
- People who set goals and focus on the future find greater happiness that people who focus on the past. Paul zeroed in on his future, even while he sat in prison. When we focus on the past, it perpetually haunts us. Anticipating achievement of our heavenward goal lifts our soul. As Olga Khazan notes: “People who gaze at an object in the distance go faster and feel less exertion than those who let their attention wander.”
- Setting the right goal of knowing Christ as deeply as possible. For Paul the finish line meant being called into the presence of God. To receive the crown of righteousness. And that goal shot Paul’s joy through the roof.
Today’s question: What Scriptures help toward the goal of knowing Christ despite the small tick of sin? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “More caught than taught”