KEEP YOUR EYES    

 ON THE PRIZE !

"Keep Your Eyes On The Prize" is a folk song that became influential during the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. It is based on the traditional song, "Gospel Plow," also known as "Hold On," "Keep Your Hand On The Plow," and other titles. The lyrics and melodies also vary from artist to artist.

Various versions of the song have been recorded by people such as Pete Seeger, Mahalia Jackson, Odetta, and a more recent version by Christian artist, Sara Groves.

It is the Sara Groves version that I am most familiar with, having been introduced to the song through its airplay on Vision Christian Radio in Australia. Some of the lyrics are as follows:

                             Paul and Silas bound in jail

                                    Got no money for to go their bail

                                    Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on

                                    Paul and Silas thought they were lost

                                    The dungeon shook and the chains fell off

                                    Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on

                                    Freedom's name is mighty sweet

                                    And one day soon we are gonna meet

                                    Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on

                                    I got my hand on the gospel plow

                                    Won't take nothing for my journey now

                                    Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on

The song alludes to a couple of passages in the Bible, the first being that of Paul and Silas in prison in Philippi, recorded in Acts 16. 

While on the second of Paul's missionary journeys, having been directed by the Holy Spirit not to go to certain places, one night he saw a vision of a man pleading with him to "come over to Macedonia and help us." Immediately, they knew the Lord was leading them to go to that region, and soon they found themselves at a city called Philippi, a major city in that part of Macedonia. They met with some women on a Sabbath, down by the river. When they shared the gospel with them, Lydia, a seller of purple cloth, was baptized and her house, and she invited them to stay with her.

A slave girl who brought much financial gain to her masters through fortune-telling followed Paul and Silas, and proved to be a great source of annoyance to them. Paul cast the demonic spirit from her, thus making her divination ability null and void, which of course greatly angered her masters.

Paul and Silas were thrown into prison, and were fastened in stocks, but they refused to get their eyes off the Lord God.

The Bible tells us that at midnight, they prayed and sang hymns to the Lord, and the prisoners heard them. There was an earthquake, the prison doors of all the prisoners were opened and their chains fell off - BUT amazingly, no one escaped!

The prison guard, awakening from sleep was aghast to see all the prison doors opened - and was about to kill himself with the sword, when Paul called out for him to not harm himself, because the prisoners were still all there in the prison.

    The guard then cried out: "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Paul answered him: " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you and your household, and you will be saved!" His household was saved that night and they were all also baptized! We are not told anything else about all the other prisoners in that prison that night, whose cell doors were opened and whose chains fell off! I would like to believe that many of those also came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ that night also!

Just think, if Paul had had the attitude of Oliver Hardy of Laurel and Hardy fame, when they were imprisoned, and he had turned to Silas and said: "That's another fine mess you've got us into!" - 😒 

they would not have experienced the wonderful move of God in that jailhouse that night that saw revival come to the prison guard's household, and probably to that of some of the prisoners also.

In spite of the fact that they had been beaten, and thrown into jail, and had their feet fastened in stocks, at midnight they prayed and sang hymns!!

In the Epistle (letter) of Paul the Apostle to the Philippians, written while chained between Roman guards - from prison in Rome or Ephesus, he wrote these words, of himself: ".....I count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ, and be found in Him....I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.....One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3: 8, 13-14 NKJV

In the song "Eyes On The Prize" from which I quoted above, it mentions the gospel plow: I got my hand on the gospel plow

                        Won't take nothing for my journey now

                        Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on

I am reminded of the verse in Luke 9:62, where Jesus in stating the cost of following Him as a disciple, stated emphatically "No man, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

Again, this is an injunction to "keep your eyes on the prize." The image is that of a farmer plowing a field in order to plant a crop. It is imperative that the furrows plowed should be straight consistently. To look back while plowing would most probably cause the furrows to not be straight in the end.

The Christian life is not a holiday. It requires total commitment. 100 percent.

There are a number of references in the Bible to the fact that Christians are in a battle - a never ending battle with Satan, the enemy of our souls. He is a liar, a deceiver, a murderer, whom Jesus refers to in John 10:10 as the thief who "comes to steal, kill and destroy." But the Good News also contained in that verse is that Jesus came to give us life, and that more abundantly."

As Christ-followers, or Christians, it is helpful to always remember that the enemy will do all in his power to distract us from keeping our eyes on Jesus, in order that we might become ineffective in our walk and our spiritual warfare against him.

That is why the writer to Hebrews also encourages us with the great Hall of Faith chapter, in Chapter 11, where we are told: But without faith, it is impossible to please Him [God], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6, and also why this same writer says in the next chapter: 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. Hebrews 12:1,2 NLT

SO, to you reading this, who is a committed Christian, the clear encouragement of this blog is:

KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE

HOLD ON!

And, if you are reading this, and are not already a Christian, my encouragement to you today is to:

GET YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE (JESUS)

For some help in taking that step of faith:

Go online to www.vision.org.au

This is the online home of Vision Christian Media in Australia, which also includes the link to Vision Christian Radio with over 730 cities, towns and small villages receiving high quality Christian music and teaching 24/7

Click on the "Grow your faith" tab at the top of the page, then click on "Looking for God?"

Please feel free to comment below if you have been encouraged by this blog!

God Bless!