Keep your eye on the ball. This is fundamental in sports. When you don’t keep your eye on the ball, you drop the ball. The same is true in life. Remember what really matters. Keep the main thing the main thing. If you don’t you will be very unhappy.
Paul understood this. Consider how he handled the situation of those who preached Christ in a spirit of competition (Phil. 1:15,16). Notice what he did not do. What he didn’t do speaks volumes about his priorities in life. What Paul did not do is lose focus. He did not allow himself to become discouraged with these people trying to stir up trouble for him. He could have easily done this. He could have allowed them to become his priority. He could have allowed a desire for retribution to consume him. He didn’t. He kept his eye on the ball. He kept the main thing the main thing.
Paul had some practice at this. When he was visiting the Corinthian church he also had to keep his focus. He wrote to them about that visit and said, “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (I Cor. 2:2). Paul had a mission to accomplish and he was not about to let petty distractions sidetrack him. And neither should we.
Jesus Himself told us what really matters. In Matthew 6:33 we read, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”. The Kingdom is what really matters. The Kingdom of God should be our top priority in life. Christ, the King, should be the focus of every Christian.
So if you don’t want to be caught up in the petty frustrations of life, you must keep your focus on what really matters. Keep your eye on the ball – The Kingdom of God.
