I’m sure we’ve all heard the expression, “keep your eyes on the prize”. The Apostle Paul wrote something similar in Philippians 3:14 when he said that he presses on “toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God”. The idea is that if you stay focused on your end goal, it will push you more towards achieving that goal you set out to attain. Paul elsewhere compares our salvation with an athlete running in a race (1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Hebrews 12:1-3). In this life, this ought to be what our focus should be on. That heavenly reward and not something here on Earth.
So, where is your focus in this world? It needs to be on the spiritual things and not in the physical things. One of the most popular verses in the Bible is Matthew 6:33 which states, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Jesus just got done telling us not to worry about physical things like what to eat or wear and concludes with this statement. He tells us to prioritize God and His kingdom before this physical things. He adds that we should lay up treasures in Heaven, not here on Earth, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (v 21).
Paul says similar things throughout his letters. Take a look at 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. Here he emphasizes that this physical world and the things we see are temporary but the things we don’t see are eternal. That’s where our mind should be. On God’s gift of eternal life (cf. Romans 6:23; 1 Timothy 6:12).
Another instance would be the second half of Philippians 3. We see that he warns of those who are the enemies of Christ “whose god is their belly…who set their mind on earthly things.” The end of these ones is destruction (3:19). In contrast, Paul wants us to be mature in our mindset and focus on spiritual things. Only then can we be more apt to discern spiritual things and be found more faithful to God.
So, where is your focus today? Is it on earthly things where moths and rust can get to and thieves rob you (Matthew 6:20)? Those things we can’t take with us when we die (1 Timothy 6:7). Instead let us remember that our citizenship is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20) and our hope is in the resurrection of a new body that is incorruptible. Let us be like Paul and press toward that goal.
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