December 16

Setting Goals for 2011

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. It 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 of 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. Brothers, 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, I 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. The 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 and 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 set of where we want to go in the future. Take just a few minutes and draw up some plans for next year. What are 3 or 4 goals you would like to accomplish in 2011?

3. The 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.

My final admonition is that 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.

Live intentionally in 2011!!