"Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you."
Proverbs 4:25 NKJV
I used to love watching Linford Christie as he used his several rituals to warm up in the blocks before a run. If it was a false start, then he would go all the through the rituals again. One thing that looked so strange was his eyes. He used to allow them to bulge out as he looked straight ahead at the winning tape, thus he used tunnel vision and only saw the winning line. One day, during an interview, I heard the broadcaster ask him about this. He explained that, when he has warmed up, he knows that the other runners are either side of him and, so that he doesn't get intimidated by them, he refuses to listen or look at them and chooses to look straight ahead to where he intends to be - first at the winning line.
When you think about this, the apostle Paul used similar directions:
(a) 'Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a away that you may obtain it.' 1 Corinthians 9:24
(b) 'I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus'
Philippians 3:14
Our scripture today instructs us to 'look straight ahead' and have our eyelids 'look right before you.' When we are doing this, we can avoid all of the distractions of life. We 'lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.' Hebrews 12:1-2.
This helps us to safeguard what we look at, where our feet take us and ensures that we keep our hearts under lock and key. Jesus promises to help us with these stumbling blocks. He protects our paths, directs our paths and perfects our paths. This may seem laborious and boring when bible teachers keep saying the same thing, on a regular basis. But think for a moment, if all of them are saying the same thing, surely this is the message that God wants to get over to each of us. We can delve deep into theological books, earning degrees and diplomas and, this is really good. However, if we can't grasp the basic issues of our Christian walk, something has gone wrong. Have we not begun to run before we can walk?
Paul wrote in the third chapter of Philippians 3:1 'Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.' We need to take on board all the teaching we can, basic or whatever, until we know it in our heart.
Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.
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