“Brothers, 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.”
Philippians 3:13, NIV
What an amazing statement. Not, “these twenty things I dabble in,” but “this one thing I do!” Incredible, when we remember the author of Philippians — the Apostle Paul, was a versatile, keen-minded, high energy, multi-talented person. Here, he is sharing in absolute terms his ability to focus. Accomplished, able, and articulate, Paul could have been successful in Roman politics or in amassing great personal wealth, but he purposely streamlined his energies to dial in on one goal — God’s mission for his life.
In 1967 Israel won what is called the “Six Day War”. Their key strategy involved what they called a “steel punch”. Focussing all their military might at one single point in the enemy line enabled them to “punch” through, breaking the formidable array of opposing troops and quickly turning the tide of the battle in their favour. We often find ourselves surrounded by a veritable sea of problems and responsibilities. In far too many cases our effectiveness in addressing any of them is blunted by the attempt to do something with all of them.
To fulfill God’s mission for your life, we must take a lesson from Paul’s statement, “one thing I do.” The remarkable aspect of this confession is not the one thing he said “yes” to, it is the multitude of things to which he had to say “no.” He is saying that to maximize your life’s mission, you have to discover and disregard distractions. You must eliminate waste!
What constitutes “waste?” Some things are easy to identify — anything sinful, sordid, self-centered. But if you are truly going to maximize your life mission and commit to “one thing,” you have to go further. You have to eliminate anything that distracts you from that mission. Translation: This means you cannot be wasting precious and limited energy and time on things that do not fulfill God’s purpose for your life. It has been said, “If the devil cannot make you sin, he will make you busy.” Today, be careful of the busy that keeps you from God’s best.
So where can you start? Here is some sound advice:
- Consider carefully. Take a long, sober look at your situation and begin to prioritize things. Which things can be eliminated from your “To-Do” list simply because they won’t make much difference anyway? Which things can be delegated to someone else? Of what is left what is the one thing that will produce the greatest result?
- Resolve firmly. Picking your “One Thing” will not make all the distractions go away! You will need to stay focussed on that one thing like a heat-seeking missile. Pursue its accomplishment with an obsessive determination to see it done and you will.
- Work purposefully. Put all your resources to work in a single-minded drive to the finish-line. Avoid multi-tasking yourself to a standstill. Get at it. Stay at it. Finish it.
QUESTION: What is a distraction that habitually sidetracks you from God’s mission in your life?
