Matt
Emmons, Olympic gold medalist in rifle shooting in 2004, was set to win another
event at Athens. He had a commanding lead and hoped to make a direct bull’s-eye
on his last shot. But something went wrong—he hit the target, but he was aiming
at the wrong one! That wrong focus dropped him to eighth place and cost him a
medal.
In Paul’s
letter to the Philippians, he expressed the importance of focusing on the right
target in our Christian life. “I press toward the goal for the prize of the
upward call of God in Christ Jesus,” he said (3:14).
Paul used
the term “goal” in an illustration of an athlete running a race. Interestingly,
the same word was also used of a target for shooting arrows. In both cases, the
prospect of winning depends on being focused. For the believer that focus
should be a lifetime pursuit of becoming more like our Savior Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:28-29;
Gal. 5:22-23).
What is your focus today? Are you preoccupied with getting ahead and making life more comfortable? If you’re a believer, the right target to shoot for is to become more like the Son of God (2 Cor. 3:18). Today make sure you are aiming at the right target!
