II Timothy 4: 7-8 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day–and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing”.

How many times have you heard people talk about “buck” fever.  What does that mean?  Well to me it means that the hunter has become overwhelmed with the trophy sitting in front of them.  The most common one is those who focus on the antlers of a monster buck.  Has this ever happened to you?  You see movement.  Then you realize that it’s a deer.  Then you look for the antlers.  Alright, it’s a legal buck.  You try and focus in on the target, the shot placement in the vital area.  You then pull up your weapon.  You realize now your shaking.  Your heart is about to jump out of your chest.  Then your focus goes back on that massive rack.  You try and focus on the target area.  This goes on, back and forth a few times.  Then usually one of two things happens.  We are so intent on the “trophy” that before we know it the deer has walked off without a chance for a shot.  Secondly, we take a shot but our focus was on the trophy and not on the target, resulting in a missed shot.

The apostle Paul spoke a lot about “the prize” and “running the race.”  He longed for those crowns that was there to reward him, but was never distracted by the trophy.  He realized what the true prize was.  He realized that the trophy came with the prize.

We then should focus on the target.  Realizing that the “trophy” will come with the prize if we remain focused on the target.  While our salvation is secure, that certainty shouldn’t get in the way of our aiming for the target.  We should always remember that we need to focus on the “target”.  Why?  So we don’t miss out on opportunities that God has given to us because we focused on the trophy instead of the target.  Remember, the trophy comes with the target.