What’s most amazing about long distance runners is that their focus on the goal prevents them from being distracted along the way. It doesn’t matter how tempting the food, how inticing the drink, the beautiful the scenery, how pleasant the company. They will not stop until they have reached the end of the race!
Paul talks about this same kind of focused determination in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Well, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air; but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
“Run that you may obtain it!” And what is it that we are to obtain? The prize! The prize at the end of the race! Unfortunately, most Christians fail to run to obtain the prize because we stop looking to the end of the race and focus our eyes and attention on the seeming problems of the moment.
“Myopic” is a word used by corporate executives. It means someone who cannot see past the immediate situation, cannot see the larger picture. Did you know that most successful companies, most successful managers work on 5-year plans or 10-year plans or 50-year plans? Why is this? Because what happens in a company is less affected by the minutia of what is occurring right now than it is by the general direction in which that company is heading.
We as Christians are singularly myopic. We are obsessed with the minutia of today. We are concerned about what we will have to eat today, to wear today, how we will cope with the consequences of our sins (our greed and laziness), how we can overcome Satan’s attacks (when he’s already been defeated) and how we can somehow gain peace in our lives and our hearts.
We lack everything we think we need because we fail to understand that we need to have a 100-year perspective!
A hundred year perspective? What in the world is that, you ask. Why, I won’t even be here.
Of course! That’s the whole point. This life–with all its care and woes–is temporary! In 100 years, we won’t even be here. We will be in heaven, fellowshipping with our Heavenly Father. In 100 years, it won’t matter that we didn’t have more money, a trouble-free car, a larger home, the ‘right’ clothes, a full pantry, a romantic marriage, the perfect job, personal fulfillment. None of these things will matter!
Let look at that list again . . .
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21, NKJ)
“Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” Why? Because where our treasure is, that is where our heart is, that is where our citizenship is!
Everyday, thousands of folks grab their newspapers or get online and check out the stock market. Why? Because that is where their treasure it. They have invested money in certain companies and they want to check out what’s happening with their money. Checking on their ‘treasure’ is a priority.
Where is your treasure? There is a quick check to find out. Where do you spend your time? Where is your focus? If it is on the things of this world, then despite anything you might say to me or to yourself, your treasure is here, on earth. But if you spend your time on the things of the Lord, then your focus is in heaven.
The pull of earthly things is so strong in our flesh. We have convinced ourselves of a an endless list of ‘things’ that are necessary for our survival. Most of us have been touched by the depression either through our parents or grandparents. We have grown up with a silent, but strong desire for financial and personal safety. But God has repeatedly told us that we have need of only food and clothing and those, God will Himself provide. Jesus was very specific:
“Do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” (Matt. 6:31-32 RSV).
Note here that Jesus tells us not to even ask about what we shall eat or drink or wear. Yet, think about how many times we concern ourselves. What will be the proper thing to wear to that occasion? What diet should I be on? Have I packed enough clothes? When can I go grocery shopping? How many of us have closets to overflowing (or are the local thrift store’s best friend because of our regular donations)? How often do we run to the grocery store, restaurant or fast food place because we’re ‘in the mood for’ a particular something to eat? How many of us fail to invite that lonely person over to lunch because we only have tuna fish sandwiches to serve?
We are focused on food, clothing, housing and other material things. So much so, in fact, that the majority of Christians in America not only live up to the limit of their income, they live well past it! Just this week, I learned that the average tithe in America is about 2.5 %. And the real reason (once you get past the smoke screen of doctrinal mish mash)? It’s simply because American Christians don’t have enough disposable income after they pay their debts and buy what they want (to satisfy their flesh) to give to God’s work!
Yet God’s promise is that He will provide everything we need! (Of course, often His definition and ours differs . . . and this is because we define our needs by the lusts of our flesh).
Like many of God’s promises, this is a conditional promise. Verse 33 says: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” What’s interesting here is that God doesn’t promise to provide for us unconditionally. He promises to provide for us if we seek His kingdom and His righteousness FIRST!
Can you imagine a day, a week, a month without wondering how you would pay your bills? How you would clothe and shoe your kids? When you might be able to go grocery shopping? It is possible when we trust God to act on His own promise!
Well, then, what possibly would we think about? If we are denying the demands of our flesh, how would we fill our time? With the advancement of His kingdom. Can you imagine how much time we would have, as individuals and as a church, if we no longer focused on the needs of the flesh? We would have time to pray, time to study His Word, time to witness and time to minister to each other. We would have the time, energy, resources and passion to see God’s 100 Year Plan and to invest our lives into it, bodies, souls and spirits! We would begin to see this earth as God sees it! We would see with the eyes of the Savior Who gave His all for us!
So why don’t we take God at His word? Because we are more comfortable trying to satisfy the lusts of our flesh rather than disciplining our bodies to conform to the righteousness of God’s demands upon our lives. The apostle Peter tells us “abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul” (1 Pet. 2:11 RSV). We are to actively abstain from fleshly lusts. That word means to hold oneself off, to refrain. It is an active word. We are to stand against the desires of our bodies, emotions and desires! Why? Because we are runners with a goal in sight–a goal which we can’t reach unless we discipline our bodies into submission–submission to the Holy Spirit.
“But,” you say, “I’ve taught by my pastor to pray for my needs, to plead the blood of Jesus over my finances, my household and the desires of my heart.” Sadly, I know this is true. The error of our ways has come directly from the pulpit. Well-meaning pastors have encouraged this kind of fleshly focus and the church of America is dying because of it.
I believe that this focus on “it’s only natural to want to care about your own body” is one of the roots of the demise of America. This self-centeredness began in the church! And it has been justified by doctrine, defended by scripture and vindicated by the clergy. Yet, God often gets blamed for things He really isn’t doing. Think about your own life, your own ‘words’ from the Lord. Think about ‘words’ that you have heard from others or that they have ‘received.’ How many of these ‘words’ are about satisfying the desires of our flesh? How many are about food, clothing, housing, and our temporal lives here when we know that God’s focus is on the establishing of His kingdom? Why would God shower so much attention upon something that is so temporary? He has already promised to meet the minimum needs of these dying, decaying bodies! His priorities are on the future–on the complete establishment of His kingdom. And these bodies are not a part of that Kingdom.
God is challenging us to begin to have a longer perspective. Like marathon runners who at the beginning of the race cannot see the finish, but who run in pursuit of the prize, we must run-–ignoring the temptations of the flesh which surround us-–and press on to the finish, to the culmination of the Kingdom of God.
So we are always of good courage; we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. We are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body. 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (RSV)