Focused on the prize

We have a silver lab whose name is Ruthie. She loves, and I mean loves to chase any kind of ball or Frisbee. When she sees me go to the laundry room to get either one of these items, every fiber of her being starts to get focused. And when you see how intense, passionate and ready it seems as if she is going to explode. She will knock over objects of furniture, other dogs even people if they are between her and the door when it comes to play time. As Ruthie and I have played over the last 18 months, it has occurred to me that this is how we as Christians should approach the word of God. Can you imagine every fiber of your being so excited, and ready to spend one on one time with the Lord Jesus Christ? We in the church must keep our eye on the prize, and not be distracted by the things of this world. As the apostle Paul writes in Phil. 3:13-14 "Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." May we as Christians have an intense desire, passion and excitement to spend time with Christ as we get into His word and His word gets into us.