A Higher Goal
George T. Frey, Jr.
I was listening to a golf professional explain how to play a shot over water to an island green. He explained that if you focus on the water, or even think about it, the possibility of hitting the ball into the water greatly increases. His solution to this psychological tendency was to focus on a high target, such as the top of a tree in the background. By focusing on the high target the golfer’s attention is diverted from the water below, subverting the influence of the water on his thinking and behaviour.
This brought to mind the example of the Apostle Paul in the letter to the Philippians, chapter 3 verse 14,
“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
This “high calling” should move our focus in life from the things below to the things above; from the things of the flesh to the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5-8), from sensual temptations to the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:14-23), and from temporal things to eternal things (2 Corinthians 4:18).
The “high calling of God in Christ Jesus” is our “prize.” It is the focus that inspires our passion to actually live in the reality of what Jesus has accomplished for us as our Savior, and wills for us as our Lord. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)
The golf professional recognized that golfers are not always strategically aware of what their focus is on, or how it affects their performance on the golf course.
For the believer it is the bible that instructs us as to what we should focus on to live a successful Christian life. In this brief article we cannot explore these things exhaustively but will set forth three things.
First we should be focused on the things of the Spirit. As Christians our relationship with the Holy Spirit is not an option, but rather a necessary empowerment and involvement for our success in Christian living.
Jesus referred to the Spirit as “the promise of the Father,” and said that His coming to indwell us would be an “advantage.” (John 16:7)
The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:1 that we are not to be “ignorant” of things that pertain to and proceed from the Holy Spirit (pneumatikos), meaning that we should be able to recognize them, understand them, and enjoy a biblical experience with them.
Our relationship with the Spirit of God is a wonderful and powerful part of our “high calling” which we focus on to dispel our ignorance and enhance our Christian living.
Second we should be focused on “the fruit of the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22-23) This “fruit” is the intended product of the “new creature” in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17); it is what our lifestyle as Christians should provide for the benefit and blessing of others. Such fruit stands in stark contrast with the products of the “flesh” which are motivated by selfish desire.
While this fruit is the product of the born again human spirit, we are led in its manifestation by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The passage in Galatians 5:16-26 clearly demonstrates that by focusing on this aspect of our “high calling” we disable the sinful motivations of the flesh.
And thirdly we should be focused on “eternal things.” Before we were in Christ we lived as if all we had was the short time we’re able to maintain these mortal bodies. But now that we are in Christ planning for the future no longer ends with a final will and testament; in fact it doesn’t end at all!
Much of what we admire so much about Jesus’ lifestyle was the result of His eternal perspective; of His clear and certain awareness of His own unending future. It was this focus that informed and defined the life He lived during His incarnation.
As Christians, our lives should be informed and defined by our clear and certain awareness of our own unending future. This is one reason why the Bible provides the believer with assurances of his salvation (Romans 10:9-10; John 10:27-29; 1 John 5:13); so that the certainty of his salvation can now become the primary reference for defining his way of living.
It is our focus on “eternal things” by which we arise from the delusion of average Christianity to the radical reality of what it means to be “imitators of Christ!”
Focus on your “high calling” and you will be empowered to truly live the high life!
