Press Along to the Goal
 

by Bubba Garner

   

She fled from the rising waters of the tsunami. Visions of her family, a husband and five children, flashed through her mind. She had to live—not just for her, for them. As she climbed a tree, she was bitten by a snake. Then came the fire ants. They stung her legs, arms, face, even her eyes. Still, she climbed. This woman had one goal, survival; it was her only option. The reunion with her family would be worth it.

Setting goals is a part of life. Achieving them, however, is not quite as common. And many times, the difference between setting marks and reaching them is the reward that waits at the end. When two teams battle and fight their way through a close championship game, what do we usually say about the one that finally finishes on top? “They were just hungrier; they wanted it more.” At the beginning of the season, they didn’t just set their minds on winning. Their goal was to win it all. They knew that the reward at the end would be worth it.

The apostle Paul likened Christianity to running a race when he said, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). That suggests some things about the determination and vision necessary as we make our journey to our own reward.

You have to press on. This race is not a sprint or a dash but a marathon, one that must be “run with endurance” (Heb. 12:1). It is filled with obstacles, detours, and difficult turns, things that the devil will use to discourage you from running. Many passages warn about falling prey to our great adversary, hence falling out of the race (1 Pet. 5:8; Eph. 6:11; 2 Cor. 11:14)? He wants you to fail. You have to press on.

And when the struggles are internal, from within, you have to get through those, too. There will be times when you feel like you can’t take another step. There will be times when you see people you love stop running. There will be times when you lose your focus and trip and fall. “And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner” (1 Pet. 4:18)? That indicates that you have to work through conflicts and strife and treacherous roads along the way. Through all the pressures, you have to press on.

You have to press on toward the goal. The goal is the finish line. It’s the reason you start running in the first place. No runner begins a race that he doesn’t intend to complete. When Paul was at the end of his life, he said with confidence, “I have finished the course” (2 Tim. 4:7). That is, he had plenty of opportunities to quit but he wasn’t about to stop running or even slow down until he felt the tape break across his chest at the finish.

You’re not finished yet. You still have a race to complete. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter how a man lives or what a man does after he is saved, just so long as he was once saved. But the Bible makes it clear that we must keep pressing on toward completion. The writer of Hebrews said that we become partakers of Christ, “if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end” (Heb. 3:14). Peter encouraged Christians to stay strong, “obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls” (1 Pet. 1:10). It’s the outcome, the end, the result, the goal. Keep pressing toward it.

You have to press on for the prize. The athletes in the First Century competed for a prize, a wreath of victory. And no one received an award just because they entered the race or ran for a little while. They had to finish to get it. And however difficult it was to pull the next hill or work through the pain, their minds were firmly fixed on the reward that was waiting at the end of the road.

The stakes are much higher in the race that is set before us. “They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable” (1 Cor. 9:25). We press on for the crown of life, the prize of eternal fellowship with God. That was certainly Paul’s motivation for fighting the good fight, for finishing the course, for keeping the faith. “In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day” (2 Tim. 4:8). Notice that he had not yet received his reward. That was the very reason he kept pressing on. Heaven will surely be worth it all. Just remember, you’re not there yet.

“To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it—but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor” (Oliver Wendell Holmes). Surviving a natural disaster and winning a national championship both involve courage, resolve, strength, and inspiration. But they are not worthy to be compared with the reward of a race run well. Set your sights on the city and press on, not off.

 

  

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