The Goal Of Life | Ben Windle

Phil 3:12-14 ?Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold?of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.?^13?Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behindand straining toward what is ahead,?^14?I press on?toward the goal to win the prizefor which God has called?me heavenward in Christ Jesus.?

What an amazing statement! At this stage of Paul?s life he was in prison in dreadful conditions, unwell, unsure whether he would remain alive much longer, deprived of his freedom, comfort and possessions. Yet in this time of terrible adversity we see great single- mindedness and clarity in his approach to life. Sometimes being stripped of external comforts can actually help us to see things more clearly.

Paul knew he still had more to learn and to work towards. We all have untapped potential which can be released if we catch hold of a vision of what God?s got in store for our lives and keep pursuing it with all we?ve got. Paul, previously well known for persecuting believers (see Acts 9:13) also knew that dwelling on the past wouldn?t help. Like Paul, we need to decide not to let any regrets about our past shackle us and hold us back!

Phil 3:13 ?This one thing?? Many of us try to do too many things, causing our focus to become scattered and leaving us struggling to give any area enough attention. We can easily get so caught up in dealing with minor issues or worrying about problems that we lose momentum and make very little real progress. Single-mindedness leads to greater productivity.

Phil 3:14: We are easily distracted. It?s easy to get caught up in stress and worrying, or to get sidetracked into less fruitful pursuits. Having vision for the future with clear, specific long- term goals is the best way to stay on the right track. Athletes have clear goals and rewards, but in real life it?s usually not quite so obvious. But we are all motivated by outcomes. We need something particular to aim for ? something we can envisage clearly, rather than just vague notions of self improvement. That?s why setting clear, written goals has such incredible motivating power.

Paul wrote this letter in dire circumstances. Yet rather than complaining and asking for sympathy, he speaks of joy and takes the time to encourage others! We always have a choice regarding how we view life. It?s so easy to dwell on the negatives and the problems. But have you noticed that we tend to attract more of whatever we focus on? And like Christian in ?Pilgrims Progress?, as we walk towards the cross our burdens will fall away. Am I pressing on daily towards the upward call of God in Christ Jesus?

Read through Philippians 3 this week, and write down one main goal for your life.

Source: http://www.benwindle.com/the-goal-of-life/

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