A Goal-Oriented Life

1Cor 9:24-27 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as 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 a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Similarly James writes, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." Jas 1:12 And the Lord says to the church in Smyrna, "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life." Rev 2:10 And at the end of Paul's life he says, "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." 1Tim 4:7,8

To obtain the prize one must first know the rules. For "if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules." 2Tim 2:5 One must also go into strict training. In Greek the word is "temperate" or "to exercise self-control" (1Cor 7:9) Athletes, in preparing themselves for the games, abstained from unwholesome food, wine, and sexual indulgence Paul went even further, abstaining from marriage and from receiving a salary for his ministering. And one must persevere to the end with determination and with the goal in mind. At the end of his life Jesus prayed, "I have accomplished the work which you have given me to do." John 17:4

Are we living with purpose, with a measurable goal in mind, a task which the Lord will hold us accountable? Or are we living aimlessly?

(thanks to The Boston Christian Bible Study Resources. God bless us)