The Upward Call :: Deeper Devotion

By Scott Meier

Philippians 3:14
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

I have a friend who recently ran the New York Marathon. What impressed me was not the fact he ran the race, but that he was willing to train for it. He had November 7, 2004, the date of his marathon, marked on his calendar for two years. Slowly but surely he worked hard to get to the goal of finishing the marathon. There were many times he wanted to give up, but when those moments occurred, he would simply look at his bathroom mirror where he had a sign reading, “November 7, 2004.”

You and I, as Christians, have as our prize eternal life in Jesus Christ. Most of us have years to go before we leave this earth and join our Heavenly Father, so it is easy to lose sight of this prize. Many temptations and situations can make it difficult to stay on focus.

So, how do you keep on track? For my friend it was a sign on his bathroom mirror. For Christians, keeping on track means surrounding us with people who will encourage and mentor us, it means forcing yourself to open the Bible when we would rather sleep in, it means praying throughout each and everyday, it means being in worship, and it means serving those in need as a way to remind us of Gods love for each of us. By doing these things you will find it hard to not have your focus on the prize that is offered through Jesus Christ. Like a marathon, our faith is lived in the long run not in short spurts.

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