My Mind’s Musings

This was in our local paper this morning. (Hopefully, I’m not violating any copyright by posting it here!) Our base participated in the Step Up Florida! health event. The two guys running on either side of me and the guy on the bicycle in the back are all Navy SEALS that are stationed on our base. They asked me if I wanted to run with them for their leg of the event.

One of the Apostle Paul’s favorite pictures of the Christian life is that of a runner. A verse that I used in last Sunday’s sermon on 1 Corinthians 9, was Phillippians 3:14, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” This is just one of Paul’s pictures of the Christian life as a race with a goal to be reached at the end. Unfortunately, many times I find that running for physical benefits is much easier than living my life in a way to please God and reach for that Heavenly and spiritual prize that should be our goal. I like the way that The Message paraphrases Phillippians 3:12-14,

I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.

It shows us that the goal is Christlikeness, our reaching out for Christ, in response to Christ’s shed blood that reached out with God’s love for us. The part that I really like is that Paul says that even he doesn’t have it completely together, but he keeps his eye on the goal, that ultimately will never be reached here on earth. I can relate to that! Although I will never experience perfect Christlikeness, I can keep my eye on Christ and my back to the world. Easier said than done at times, but the goal of pleasing, and one day seeing, my Savior is the ultimate prize!