Zoom In

1 Corinthians 9:²⁶ “So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I fight to win. I’m not just shadow-boxing or playing around.” (LB)

Today, as we look at the Word of God, God will open our eyes to see as we ought to see, and we will hear as we ought to hear in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Have you met people who beat around the bush? You are talking about X, but they talk about A, B, and then C. And you say to them, “Look, we are talking about X”. And they say, “Wait…”, then they go to E and to F. And you say, “But X is before us. Let us focus on the heart of the matter!” Some lives are simply like that, lived as though people are shadow boxing, just beating the air. And Paul would say I don’t fight as if I am shadow boxing. I don’t live my life as though I am shadow boxing.

People in their sixties, seventies, and even people at the end of their lives are still shadow boxing. If you look at your life and you have spent twenty, thirty, or forty some years on this earth, and it is as if you are shadow boxing, then you need to zoom in on the heart of the matter. And the way it works is that when you zoom into the heart of the matter, everything else flows from it. Ecclesiastes 12:¹³ “That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.” If this were coming from someone in kindergarten, someone poor, someone who hasn’t experienced certain things, or someone limited in their world view, you would say the person has not really seen life.

This was coming from King Solomon himself. If we back up to Ecclesiastes 1:^1-2 “The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” (ESV). This is so, who had three hundred wives and seven hundred concubines in his exploration. He was determined to explore the world, explore enjoyment, and explore life. And by the time he had beaten around the bush to the north, south, east, and west, his conclusion was vanity of vanities. Ecclesiastes 1:^{3-4, & 8} “What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.” (ESV, emphasis added).

In other words, if you say you want to see, you cannot see finish (Nigerian pidgin English term for over-familiarity that leads to a loss of respect). They say familiarity breeds contempt, right? The problem is that they are limited in scope. Even in the things you think you are familiar with, there are endless possibilities that you have not experienced.

Prayer: Father, teach me to run straight to the goal with purpose in every step, in Jesus Name. Amen!