Keep Our Eyes On The Prize

II Corinthians 4:13-18

Have you ever watched an athlete in training?  They go through long, wearisome, and oftentimes painful hours of training.  The thought of being good enough to be selected for the team, or getting to the Olympics and winning the gold medal keeps them going, despite any discomfort.  The same holds for aspiring musicians. The pianist or violinist who wishes to achieve concert level gives up everything else for hours of practice. They all keep their eye on the future goal, feeling the trial they are going through now worth it for the end result.  The Apostle Paul felt the same way. Let’s look into our passage and see what he has to tell us.

Once he came to faith in the Lord Jesus as his Savior, Paul dedicated his life to spreading that same message to others around the known world.  Throughout the years of his ministry Paul always remained true to his convictions (vs 13). He never changed his message to suit his listeners, though that often brought him harsh persecution.  Paul went through tremendous sufferings and trials while preaching the Gospel (vs 15-18). He refused to focus his mind on these hardships though.  Rather, Paul focused his mind on the hope and promises of God’s rewards. When we are going through difficult times in our life, particularly if it is for the cause of Christ, don’t focus on those troubles. Instead we need to keep our eyes on God’s goals.

Just like the athlete, Paul concentrated on the goal of God, and was strengthened by the Holy Spirit.  Jesus will give us the strength to endure every trial so we can be a witness for Him. Paul shares in our Scripture passage here what helped him endure his afflictions.  He viewed all he was going through as light and momentary in view of eternity (vs 17). Our afflictions may seem unbearable right now, but wouldn’t any of us go through a minute of suffering if we knew the rest of our life would be bliss and comfort?  This life is not all there is. There is life after death. Knowing this can help us get through the suffering. Paul thought of it that way. He knew the greater the suffering for Christ the greater the eternal glory. God will reward what we are going through and suffering for Him (vs 18).

Throughout all our adversities and all we go through, we need to be sure that we do not become hardhearted and resistant to God.  If we are yielded to Him, the Holy Spirit will soften our hearts. Don’t let troubles diminish our faith or disillusion us. God has a purpose in our suffering.  God’s perspective is better than ours. He sees the whole picture, things we can’t possibly see. He doesn’t always remove the difficulties that we ask Him to. God is producing qualities in us that are important in view of eternity.  The athlete or musician may at times wish to quit the difficult training. They continue, though, if they keep their eyes on their goal.

We must remember our goal, and not forsake our eternal reward because of today’s pain.  Satan has a plan to take us out. God has a plan to keep us in. Focus on His plan. Let the resurrection power of Jesus strengthen us.  God teaches us in the dark moments of our life. Those times will last only as long as is necessary for the Lord to accomplish His purposes.  Our distress is only a millisecond compared to eternity. Thank the Lord for what He is doing, and honor Him in all things.