DAY 12: EYES ON THE PRIZE
Stretch: Spend some time blessing and adoring God.
“Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 3:13-14
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.” —Hebrews 12:1-2
“For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.” —Romans 8:24-25
“In the moment of temptation think of the Love that awaits you in heaven: foster the virtue of hope.” —St. Josemaria Escriva
in 1998, U.S. figure skater Tara Lipinski became the youngest Olympian ever to win a gold medal. She was only 15. In a TV interview she said she used to practice receiving the gold medal when she was six years old. She always knew what she wanted. She kept her eyes on the prize.
In running the race of faith, we need to keep our eyes on our prize: eternal salvation and glory in Jesus Christ. This is known as the virtue of hope. The Bible uses the word hope differently than our society does. In
today's world, hope is a wishy- washy term. We say, "I hope I pass this test," or "I hope this person calls me." What we mean is that we don't think it will happen.
In Scripture, "hope" is more than a "wish." Hope refers to our belief that we will be saved. Hope is knowing the eternal glory that awaits those who have been faithful to Christ. It is definite. It is confident. Many people confuse faith with hope, but faith refers to our living out what we believe. Faith is our daily steps. Hope is the reason we run.
We must "fix our eyes on Jesus" if we want to win this race. We must continually remind ourselves of the glory that awaits us in Heaven. Imagine this: You close your eyes for the last time on this earth, and when you open them again, you are in a different place. It is the most beautiful place you have ever seen. Before you is the finish line. As you head toward it, you see deceased family members calling your name and shouting for joy. You see angels and saints clapping and shouting louder and louder.
Behind the finish line you see Jesus with a huge smile and His arms outstretched. You become like a child running toward the arms of his father. And as you break through the finish line into the arms of God, all of creation erupts in song as He embraces you. He then puts you on a pedestal and in front of all creation places upon your head the crown of life. It is the most incredible moment you will ever experience. And it will last forever.
The more faithful we are to Christ, the more glorious that moment will be. Spend a few minutes dreaming of that moment and then live in faith to make that a reality.
Cool Down: Pray an Our Father.
“Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 3:13-14
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.” —Hebrews 12:1-2
“For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.” —Romans 8:24-25
“In the moment of temptation think of the Love that awaits you in heaven: foster the virtue of hope.” —St. Josemaria Escriva
in 1998, U.S. figure skater Tara Lipinski became the youngest Olympian ever to win a gold medal. She was only 15. In a TV interview she said she used to practice receiving the gold medal when she was six years old. She always knew what she wanted. She kept her eyes on the prize.
In running the race of faith, we need to keep our eyes on our prize: eternal salvation and glory in Jesus Christ. This is known as the virtue of hope. The Bible uses the word hope differently than our society does. In
today's world, hope is a wishy- washy term. We say, "I hope I pass this test," or "I hope this person calls me." What we mean is that we don't think it will happen.
In Scripture, "hope" is more than a "wish." Hope refers to our belief that we will be saved. Hope is knowing the eternal glory that awaits those who have been faithful to Christ. It is definite. It is confident. Many people confuse faith with hope, but faith refers to our living out what we believe. Faith is our daily steps. Hope is the reason we run.
We must "fix our eyes on Jesus" if we want to win this race. We must continually remind ourselves of the glory that awaits us in Heaven. Imagine this: You close your eyes for the last time on this earth, and when you open them again, you are in a different place. It is the most beautiful place you have ever seen. Before you is the finish line. As you head toward it, you see deceased family members calling your name and shouting for joy. You see angels and saints clapping and shouting louder and louder.
Behind the finish line you see Jesus with a huge smile and His arms outstretched. You become like a child running toward the arms of his father. And as you break through the finish line into the arms of God, all of creation erupts in song as He embraces you. He then puts you on a pedestal and in front of all creation places upon your head the crown of life. It is the most incredible moment you will ever experience. And it will last forever.
The more faithful we are to Christ, the more glorious that moment will be. Spend a few minutes dreaming of that moment and then live in faith to make that a reality.
Cool Down: Pray an Our Father.
