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From Drifting to Focused—Claiming God’s Call on Your Life

We do what we do, ultimately, for an audience of one. Every prayer prayed, every gift given, every kind deed or act of service—it’s all recorded on the ledger sheets of heaven. And someday, God will reward it accordingly. None of it is in vain.

Doing things that would be rewarded in eternity motivated the apostle Paul as well, as he records in this vivid comparison of two kinds of race. In Paul’s day, instead of giving gold medals for winning first place in an Olympic event, a crown of olive or laurel leaves was placed on the winner’s head. By the time the athlete went home that night, the wreath would already be wilting and falling apart. Think of that. All that energy expended for a wreath that didn’t last beyond the day.

Paul contrasts this with putting our efforts into running a race of another kind—a race that advances the purposes of God in the world. If you enter into that race and you run hard, God will give you an imperishable wreath, an eternal crown, a reward that isn’t wilted by sundown, but that lasts forever.

Are you in the right race? Or have you accidentally drifted into a race that is mostly in vain? Are your best efforts going toward a race that results in fleeting applause? Or do you strive for material gain or for passing pleasures?

Having a life verse is one of the most powerful tools I know for simplifying your life. It keeps you on course and helps you make wise decisions about where to invest your time, energy, and gifts. It drives you to live each day with fervency and passion.

Choose a life verse and keep it ever-present in your mind. Let it empower you to run the race that matters, free of distraction. Someday, when you stand before God, your life verse will have helped you receive a crown worth keeping.

Question for reflection: Do you have a life verse? If so, what is it and why did you claim it as your own? If not, take a look at the appendix of verses in the book Simplify and see if there is a verse that calls out to you.