The Ultimate Goal - NBA Finals edition

Who will win it all? Will the Miami superstars win it all with their "dream team" like they promised at the beginning of the season? Or will Dirk, who even plays though illness, finally get the ring that he's worked so hard for? Can LeBron James close out a game in the 4th quarter and prove he is one of the NBA greats? These are a few of the questions that have been swirling around the sports media this past week. As many of you know, the NBA Finals are taking place right now between the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks. These players have put a lot of effort into making it to this point in their careers, and they are all focused. Here's a quote from Dirk Nowitzki, "So we're one win away from my dream, what I've worked for half of my life. This is all I'm really worried about. This is all I'm focusing on." Sounds like he's pretty locked in on reaching his goal. 

What if we all were that focused on reaching our goal in life? And no, I'm not talking about our goal to be a professional athlete, or to make a lot of money. I'm talking about our goal to reach Heaven and carry out Jesus' instructions. In Colossians 3:23, it is pretty clear how we should do things, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." God wants us to work hard at what we do, especially when it comes to His work. Just imagine if we devoted our whole lives to strengthening our relationship with God and to spreading His word like NBA players work for a championship ring. Just like all things in life, it's not easy to put all your effort into one thing. There are always going to be distractions and obstacles that want to make you give up. But fortunately, for this goal, we're not on our own. We have the greatest coach around to help guide us through life and give us instructions on how to meet the goal. With His help, I know we can all dedicate our lives to reaching the Ultimate Goal. 

"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:14