“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” – Philippians 3:13-14
Have you ever looked at life like a race? Paul compares life to a race throughout Scripture. He references this in Hebrews, 1 Corinthians, 2 Timothy, and in many other places throughout his writings. Paul looked at life like it was a race, and as he talks about this comparison in the Bible, he encourages us to adopt the same perspective.
This is not a coincidence my friend. God wanted us to see Paul’s perspective so that we too can view life as a race. And like a race, life has a beginning, middle, and end.
We have talked about running our race over the last couple of days. We have talked about being where your feet are…that is the beginning. We have talked about the hurdles and challenges of life…that is the middle. Today, we talk about the “end goal.” The end goal is, of course, where the race finishes.
Philippians 3:13-14 says, “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
When you run a race, you don’t just mindlessly run. That is the difference between “going for a run” and running an actual race. With a race, there is a clear endpoint. And that is the whole purpose of the race – to reach the end.
Paul kept his eyes on the end prize. It was always about where God is taking him. And that is exactly where your focus should be, too. Live in the moment; be where your feet are. Embrace the hurdles and challenges. But know what you are ultimately after. You are running the race to receive the prize!
Never forget the end goal. Paul didn’t and he doesn’t want you to, either!