IF SOMEONE ASKED, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”, HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER THEM?

SCRIPTURE:
I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and 
participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, 
somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.  Not that I have 
already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press 
on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers 
and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one 
thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me 
heavenward in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 3:10-13)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever thought about how much more you would enjoy living 
if you had a meaningful road map of where you are going?
We are told that everyone should establish goals for themselves.
Some psychiatrists claim that setting goals is good for our overall mental health. 
And you know what, they might be right.

Whenever we are not striving to achieve something, our minds can go into idle 
mode and we start finding fault with ourselves and the things around us.
We discover that we are not living in ideal circumstances 
and it creates a restlessness in us that results in frustration and possibly depression.

Most of us either consciously or subconsciously set short term goals, 
but what is our ultimate long-term goal?
In other words when we reach the end of our life on earth, 
will we feel that we are closer to our goal?

When Paul had his encounter with the Lord, his entire life changed.
Instead of having a worldly goal of persecuting Christians, 
he was now focused on completing the work God had called him to complete.
Paul had a new goal and he was diligent in his pursuit of that goal.
He readily admitted that he had not fully achieved his goal, 
but his life was dedicated to achieving it.

One important part of Paul’s focus was, he never allowed his past 
to prevent him from moving forward toward his ultimate goal.
Apparently Paul realized that looking back would clutter his mind 
and discourage his efforts to attain his new goal.
From Paul’s example we can learn 
that we should not look back over our failures, mistakes, and missed opportunities.
Instead, we should vow that we will make better use of our time in the future.

ACTION:
What is God’s calling for you?
Are you diligently striving to achieve the goal He established for you?
Are you struggling with knowing what He has called you to do?
If so, then until you fully understand Your calling, set a personal goal 
to please Him and strive to win His prize for you at the end of your life’s journey.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I realize that the earthly goals I create for myself will 
not bring the satisfaction I desire. However, I believe that Your goals for 
me will give me a peace and joy that I cannot find anywhere else. Help 
me to understand Your goal for me and teach me how to realign my life 
in an effort to achieve that goal. Give me a desire to diligently strive to 
achieve the things You want me to do. Renew my heart so that I will have 
a new love and concern for others.”