Everyone loves the wit of motivational speaker Zig Ziglar’s famous saying, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.”  That gets a chuckle and maybe a rueful shake of the head even. Maybe it’s one of those sayings we’ve heard often enough that it seems trite, but that doesn’t lessen the truth of it. Those are powerful words, and sad ones if they describe a life, and if you are a Christ-follower they are a warning.

By definition a Christ-follower has a purpose: to follow Christ through life. How that actually plays out in the everyday details might look a little different for each person, but there will be remarkable similarities as well. Obedience. Compassion. Faithfulness. Service. Holiness. Patience. Joy. Self-control. Peace. Love. The apostle Paul chronicled his own walk as a follower: “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own.” (Philippians 3:12) We are aiming to be like Him, aiming to carry on His work, aiming to live face-to-face with Him when we are done here….not there yet, but in progress, and we can’t afford to get so caught up in today’s tangles that we forget what we are aiming for.  Paul’s nutshell of a goal: “so that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” (v.11)

Press on. There is no aimlessness there, no muddling about waiting for some big thing to happen, only determination to keep going one day at a time, one choice at a time, with the goal in mind. Following Christ through this world is not easy, and so it requires that kind of dedication to make it to the end– the bending of a life to one purpose that matters most, like anyone who is successful in achieving great things. The apostle Paul knew the kind of day-in-day-out attention it took to follow, and not get distracted: “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:27) He understood what was at stake, that we are at war with an Enemy who wants to destroy us all, and how the Adversary sings us to sleep with our eyes wide open to this world. He understood the priceless result of aiming for eternity…“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize! Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25)

So we who are choosing to follow Christ know what to do with our lives. We will follow hard after Him, and listen to every word He says. We will aim for a life worthy of the Beloved One who saved us and calls us His own, and with His help we will set goals and make choices that will hit the mark. The result is a life beautiful, and Heaven waiting.

“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” Romans 8:5