Staying Focused

In college, I enjoyed playing golf — so much so, that I once took a course in golf during a summer session. And while I’m still not a great golfer, years of playing have taught me that the more thoughts an individual has in their head as they swing the golf club, the less likely they are to be successful in their follow through, simply because those thoughts cause a loss of concentration and focus.

To be successful at hitting the golf ball, we must simplify our thought processes and focus on what matters most — making solid contact with the ball.

Just as in playing golf, to successfully live the Christian life, we must focus on what matters most (Matthew 6:33).

In Philippians 3, Paul describes how focus relates to the Christian. Rather than being distracted by lesser things, he wanted to focus on what mattered most.

He said, “One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

Note the phrase, “One thing I do” in the above passage.

In a world of distractions, it’s vital for the child of God to stay focused, and there is no better focal point in the universe than Jesus Christ Himself (Hebrews 12:2 NASB; cf. Proverbs 4:25-27).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets