Christian Living

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St. Paul says, “Let us look to Jesus the founder of our faith, who will bring it to competition. For the sake of the joy reserved for him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and then sat at the right of the throne of God.”(Hebrews 12: 2) He suggests us to fix our eyes on Jesus and look forward the glorious life in heaven.

Run like an athlete
We are engaged in the life sports on this earth. We are running for the glory. As the eyes of the athlete remain fixed on the goal or target, all our attention should be fixed on our track taking us towards Jesus. An athlete running a marathon cannot afford to see who is cheering him or who is jeering at him while he is running. If his attention fails for even the smallest fraction of a moment, he will miss his track and lose out his speed and the result itself. That is why St. Paul advises us to look at Jesus on our track.

Our Lord’s warning
We have to run with a focused mind. We should be careful not to be distracted by anything. “Have you not learnt from the stadium? Many run, but only one gets the prize. Run, therefore, intending to win it, as the athletes who impose upon themselves a rigorous discipline.”(1 Corinthians 9: 24) St. Paul guides us the way we should run in our life to eternity. It is fitting to remember the words of our Lord, “Jesus said to him, “Whoever has put his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9: 62) We have to be watchful not to lose our track.

Single-minded commitment
St. Paul insists in many places the necessity of being single-minded and committed, fixing our eyes on our Lord. “Brothers and sisters, I do not claim to have claimed the prize yet. I say only this: forgetting what is behind me, I race forward and run towards the goal, my eyes on the prize to which God has called us from above in Christ Jesus. Let all of us who claim to be perfect have the same way of thinking, but if there is something on which you differ, God will make it clear for you.” (Philippians 3: 12-15) This single-minded commitment will enable us to declare with him, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”(2 Timothy 4: 7) If we want to reach our goal successfully, we have no choice but to shut out the multitude of voices that shout to us.

Fix your eyes on Jesus
We should fix our eyes on Jesus in order to reach our ultimate goal. We should hold him strongly and go with him always meditating his words. “So let us be rid of every encumbrance, and especially of sin, to persevere in running the race marked out before us.”(Hebrews 12: 1) Jesus, our Promising Lord, will not desert us in any way; but protect us from every evil and help us win our goal.

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