Setting Spiritual Goals

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 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” (Philippians 3:10-14).

Over this past week the idea of setting goals has come up again and again. In Friday’s prayer chapel we were even given opportunities to prayerfully write our goals for this semester down. With the New Year it seems reasonable to set some goals for the future. Where do I want to be in my journey at the end of 2007? Who do I want to be at the end of 2007? Finally, what steps am I willing to take to be there at the end of 2007?

The passage above is a very clear example of setting a goal, and more specifically, a godly goal. I imagine that God the Father was deeply pleased as Paul penned the words, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings.” I believe God smiled as the apostle wrote, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Truly, Paul’s goals are an awesome example for us as followers of Christ.

Paul states very clearly, “I want to know Christ…” That’s the simple essence of his goal. The rest of that verse explains how Paul desires to know Jesus and even what he’s willing to go through to achieve his goal. A godly goal is in accordance with God’s will. Jesus prayed, saying, “…[Y]ou granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:2-3). God wants people to know Him and receive eternal life through a relationship with Him. So, Paul’s goal to know Christ is easily verified as being in accordance with God’s will.

In another letter Paul writes, “…whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). According to this standard, a godly goal should have God’s glory in mind. Our motivation for setting any particular goal is important in discerning whether a goal is godly or not. Before you set a goal, ask yourself if your goal is for the glory of God.

Another important aspect of goal setting is challenging yourself. Some people want to take an easy way and set easy goals for themselves. However, setting goals that aren’t easy to attain will help to strengthen our faith in Jesus. Charles Stanley includes the following quote in his Intouch devotional:

“…reaching for a goal enlarges faith. Stretch a rubber band wide, and when it is allowed to relax, it will be slightly larger. Faith works the same way. When we decide to do something that requires more resources than we have, we must depend on God to do the work through us. And if we are relying on Him for the wisdom to set right goals, then we can trust Him to enable us to achieve them.”

I firmly believe that if we sit down and quiet ourselves before the Lord, enter into His presence and fellowship with Him, and prayerfully set goals for ourselves, that God will inspire us, challenge us, and convict us with goals that will please Him.

Consider Paul’s words to the Corinthian church:

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

It would be foolish to not set godly goals for ourselves. We need to keep our eye on the prize. Perish the thought that we would run aimlessly or fight blindly. Movement is a waste of time and energy if it’s not in the right direction. Goals are essential to victorious living just as goals are essential to winning a hockey game.

These are some of the insights God has given me about setting spiritual goals. The discipline of setting godly goals is not just a New Year exercise that we should do. It’s a discipline that we should incorporate into our daily lives, setting goals and achieving them, pressing on toward the prize constantly. I’d like to challenge you (the reader) to take some time with God and set some solid spiritual goals for yourself.

Comments: For this post it would be great if you would share one of your goals with us. Consider describing how or why you feel God has lead you to set your goal and some of the steps that you will take to achieve your goal.