“Not that I have obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that 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 to what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” – Philippians 3:12-14
Apostle Paul is penning this profound epistle to the Christian Community in Philippi. Unfortunately, he is weaving the words while confined in the dingy prison cells in Rome. Through it all, the man of God is not diverted by the tough times. Yes, he is in prison, but he is still focusing on Jesus – the pioneer and perfector of our faith. Just to apprise you, Apostle Paul lived in the Greek world of the Roman Empire. During that dispensation, the Roman laws took preeminence, but the life and culture of the people were majorly influenced by the Greeks. In every town and hamlet, there was a stadium and an amphitheatre. Apostle Paul was an autochthon of the famous Greek City called Tarsus in Cilicia; the home of the famous Greek University.
When I cited that stadia and amphitheatres were ubiquitous; it tells you that there were games played throughout that part of the world. This explains Paul’s predilection for athletic examples, similes, metaphors, symbols, analogies and allegories. For instance, in 1 Corinthians 9:24, he writes, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.” Likewise, in 2 Timothy 2:5, Paul pens a letter to his protégé Timothy, “Anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules.”
So, I write about: FOCUS – Follow One Course Until Successful. I fleshed this interesting acrostic from a heroic book titled The Midas Touch, where Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki used the five human fingers as symbols; to explain some life lessons. The thumb stands for emotional maturity and strength of character. The index finger stands for FOCUS (Follow One Course Until Successful). The middle finger stands for the brand (what you stand for). The ring finger stands for relationships. When exchanging nuptial vows, love birds insert rings on that finger to symbolise the covenant of marriage. But why must it be that finger? I read somewhere: Greeks used to argue that there is a vein that runs from that finger to the seat of emotions – the heart.
Of focus and its correct application. In another heroic book titled You’re Born an Original Don’t Die a Copy, John Mason contends that without focus, creativity wastes its efforts in a maze of inconsistencies. Focus is the secret of strength. Then, the focused, straight and narrow way, has the lowest accident rate. It is important that people get to know what you stand for; it is equally important that they know what you will not stand for. It is important to explore what Apostle Paul reminds us to focus on in Philippians 3:12-14.
Focus On More
Apostle Paul’s attitude is not that of finitude. He wants to attain more. He is cognizant of the fact that you cannot say you have had enough of Christ. For His sanctification and regeneration process is continuous. In Titus 3:5, we read, “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy and magnanimity. He saved us through the washing or rebirth and renewal by the Holy Ghost.
Focus on the Goal
Again, Apostle Paul talks of the goal. It is a good goal because his focus is Christ-centred. It is important to have academic, career, marital and financial goals. Such goals, whether short-term or long-term; must be written for frequent reference. For if it is not on paper, it is vapour. It is more important to have a ravenous desire of developing a deeper relationship with God Almighty. No wonder, elsewhere, in Philippians 3:10, Apostle Paul writes, “I want to know Christ – Yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death.”
Focus on the Present and Future
Apostle Paul knows that there are people who are prisoners of the past. Therefore, he writes about forgetting about what is behind; and straining towards what is set ahead. All of us have some past: good, bad or ugly. The good past manifesting in form of great achievement and admirable victory; should never make us lose focus for what still lies ahead. Remember, yesterday’s fire, is today’s ashes. Unfortunately, most of us celebrate embers of fire hidden in heap of ashes. Yet, we should be ablaze for Christ. You must have met Christians who have glorious accounts of how God used them in the distant past. Of how they used to pray with power. Or evangelise with trenchant zest. I am talking about that first love, which has faded like a festoon of flowers. Or withered like blades of green grass. Maybe, these are the brothers and sisters who should remember the first love as written by Apostle John in that epic apocalyptic text – Revelation 2:4.
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Conversely, there is the bad and ugly past we should forget about. The things you did before you came to know Christ should not gnaw your conscience. Or make you suffer from guilt and regret. For in 2 Corinthians 5:17, we read, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.” Moreover, the Lord God also wants us to forget about the bad or ugly past depicting as failure, defeat and despair. Isaiah 43:18-9 says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
Focus on the Prize
Finally, Apostle Paul says that his focus is on the prize; for which God has called him heavenward in Christ Jesus. Meaning, he is in chains, in prison, but he is seeing something better than tribulations, afflictions, suffering, miseries, misfortunes, sicknesses, groans and death of this mortal body. No wonder, he also writes in Philippians 1:21, “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” In Acts 17:28, he reminds the pantheon of philosophers in Athens, Greece, “In Him we live, and move, and have our being.” More profoundly, to Apostle Paul, dying has some gain. Why? For his focus is on eternal life. For Psalm 11:15, puts it aptly, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.”
Therefore, in 2 Timothy 4:7-8, in what looks like a farewell speech, he brings out his laser-like focus on the prize, crown, and eternal life. He writes, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now, there is in store for me, the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.”
By Victor Ochieng’
Sunday writings to the Christian Community. vochieng.90@gmail.com. 0704420232
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