“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).
As Christians, what’s our goal?
It isn’t getting a good job, making a lot of money, becoming famous, having a big house and a fancy car—it isn’t even having a lasting legacy that outlives us once we’re dead and gone. Those aren’t necessarily bad goals. But they’re not our primary goal. They can’t be. Our primary goal as Christians is to get home. Heaven is our home.
Keep your eyes on the goal. Run the race—live as God’s children. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been running this race for 8 or even 80 years—keeping our eyes on that goal is really difficult.
Why? We know what’s at stake, so why? Why do we lose focus?
We’re sinful people living in a sinful world full of many distractions. They look different for each of us, but make no mistake, they’re there.
Maybe it’s skipping a church service or two. Maybe it’s joining in on the watercooler talk at work—the kind of jokes or conversation you wouldn’t want anyone else to hear. Maybe it’s visiting that website when no one else is watching. Maybe it’s something else.
Those distractions can look much better than this brutal race of self-denial and cross-carrying. All it takes is a split second for the focus to shift. Our eyes turn away from the goal, our foot slips, and we stumble and fall. We fall every day—and we fall hard. Once we’re lying there on the ground, we don’t feel a lot of motivation to get up and keep running.
Denying ourselves and living as Christians sounds a whole lot harder than how everybody else has it in life. Quitting the race, kicking back, and enjoying ourselves—that sounds so much better, doesn’t it?
And so we give in and ask, “What is the harm in taking a break?” What’s the harm? From a spiritual standpoint, that’s deadly. Taking our eyes off the goal, even for a moment, is enough to disqualify us from reaching that goal on our own. And we know that.
You and I disqualified ourselves from winning the crown of life long ago. “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy” (Leviticus 19:2). So why are we still running? Not to win eternal life—that’s already been won for us. The race has already been run in our place by Jesus.
That’s why he came into this sin-darkened world. It wasn’t a simple stroll in the park—it was a hard race, full of temptations and distractions to turn him away from his goal of winning heaven for us.
But our Savior came to give up everything—even his own life—all for people not willing to let him gather them in his arms. All for you and me. Why? Because he loves us so much, and that was what it would take to rescue us.
Jesus wasn’t going to let anyone or anything get in his way. The distractions and temptations weren’t given a single glance. His eyes were fixed on his goal: death on a cross. Jesus never wavered once in his determination, and the victory cry of “It is finished!” means everything for you and me. Everything.
The race is won, the work is done—our victory is assured.
So why are we still running? Because we’re not home yet. We’re here. And while we’re here, God has work for us: to live as his children in a sin-darkened world.
If life is a race, we don’t know how much longer we’ll be running it. Maybe we’re just starting; maybe we’re nearing the end. Only God knows. But here’s the comfort: the race is already won. Moreover, we’re not running alone. Our Savior is right here, urging us along. Our brothers and sisters are running alongside us as well. We’re all in this together.
Dear Christian, get up. Keep going. Keep your eyes on the goal.
If you’re looking for ways to live out your faith as God’s child, Sanctification: Alive in Christ is a helpful read from the People’s Bible Teachings series. Check it out here!
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Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.
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