Where Is Your Focus?

Karl Wallenda was one of the world’s greatest tightrope performers. In 1978 he fell to his death.

Sometime later, his wife was speaking of the tragedy. “All Karl thought about,” she recalled, “for three straight months before his death was falling. It was the first time he had ever thought about death, and it seemed to me that he put all of his energies into not falling rather than in walking the tightrope.”

Paul warned us about focusing on the wrong things. In his letter to the Philippians, he advised them to “look forward to what lies ahead. (Let’s) strain to reach the end of the race, and receive the prize for which God through Christ Jesus is calling us to receive in heaven.”

The future is in front of all of us. And, often it is not the future that causes us problems, but the past. We can’t feel sorry about the issues that may happen in the future, nor can we become discouraged about mistakes we might make in the future. And, neither can we regret sins that we may commit tomorrow. But, unfortunately, we often become overwhelmed with problems and mistakes and sins in our past that we hold tightly to and refuse to let go.

When we allow the past to compete or interfere with our future, we take our eyes off the “prize” that God has waiting for us. We must never surrender our standards or lower our expectations if we want to be all that we can be through Christ. If we do, we lose the prize.

Prayer:  Help us, Father, to keep our eyes on You and the prize that we have in Christ Jesus our Lord. May we allow no one or nothing to distract, destroy, or defeat us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: 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