December 16

Setting Goals for 2010

We are two weeks away from a new year. The greatest fear I have of the future is not terrorism, or a collapse of the financial markets, the greatest fear I have is not finishing the race well. How will I stay on the spiritual cutting edge for one more year? I think Paul was also aware of the dangers in not finishing well. Here is what Paul says about setting goals:

Philippians 3:12-14 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Look at three strategic steps he takes in these verses:

1. First step is to forget what is behind. Whether the past is full of spiritual successes or one failure after another, it really doesn't matter. Those days are gone, never to be relived. Wallowing in the guilt of previous sins only impairs spiritual growth. Once we have confessed sin, we need to move on. On the other hand, it's possible to stagnate by riding on the coattails of glorious accomplishments of former days. In either case, Paul says: Forget what is behind. You can't live in the past, so don't dwell on it.

2. The second step is to strain to what is ahead. This doesn't mean we don't evaluate, reflect and learn from our mistakes. But a person doesn't drive a car by staring into the rear view mirror. You take an occasional glance at the past then you look forward. Our lives can only be lived in the present aiming towards the future. We must learn to look forward and plan for where we are steering the car. As the motto goes, “People don’t plan to fail, people fail to plan.” There needs to be an agenda sent of where we want to go in the future. Take just a few minutes and draw up some plans next year. What would be 3 or 4 goals you would like to accomplish in your life?

3. Third step is to press on toward the goal for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus. In other words, we are to continually move toward Christ likeness. If we reach all of our goals but we don’t know Jesus better, we have wasted our lives. We are never to be satisfied with our present knowledge of Jesus. That is why I am recommending keeping the pedal pressed to the metal for Jesus. Life is only lived when we are growing in our love of Him.
In what ways are you aggressively pressing forward in your knowledge of Jesus?
What are your goals for your spiritual life in the New Year?
Are you comfortable and content with your life as it is? BEWARE of a comfortable life.

My final admonition is we need accountability to reach these goals. Each one of us needs an accountability partner to have success on the journey. Pray about someone you could ask to hold you accountable for your goals.

Life intentionally in 2010!!