By Darryll Davis

I was close to being “Top Gun” at the police target range. It was down to a few guys and we were all fast. We were competing with the same type of gun, bullets, target, and distance.

Fire, Aim, Ready?

With the same fair opportunity to win, it came down to one simple principle: focus. The contest was not given to the guy with the fastest draw or steadiest hand, but to the person who maintained focus.

I remember hearing the sound of the buzzer, wondering if I had cleared my gun from the holster quickly enough. Instead of focusing on a smooth and fluid action, my attention was on trying to get the first shot off.

My start wasn’t too bad, but in the end, I lost. I know what put me in last place. It was the shift in my gaze, my break in focus. I was trying to gauge mid-contest how well the other guys were doing at hitting the center of their targets.

I was distracted. I was not shooting to win; I was shooting not to loose. You can’t hit your own bull’s-eye when you’re focusing on another person’s target.

Many believers do well at playing not to loose, focusing on what others are doing instead of keeping focused solely on Christ.

Renewing Our Focus

Paul saw this problem in the church at Colossae. They lost focus and gave way to other gods, idols, and traditions. They stopped focusing solely on Christ. Rather than encourage them to become defensive, Paul charged them to return to a clear focus on Jesus and what he had done in their lives: “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created” (Colossians 1:13-16).

Paul admonished the church then as he does today to look to the God of creation, seen through Christ. “Continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel” (Colossians 1:23).

Darryll Davis lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife Marie. Recently retired from the Cincinnati Police Department, he now serves as the lead minister at Pathways Christian Church.