In my previous post (October 9--What Will Make You
Happy?) I started exploring the theme of GOALS.
Highly motivated people often possess very specific goals. Not everyone sets
long-term goals but if someone is seriously motivated they move through their
day and week with a clear sense of direction and definition [focus]. I
appreciate hearing the stories of people who have achieved a major goal, or at
least made significant progress towards a milestone in their life. It’s
inspiring to think that if they can, maybe I can. I think that’s part of the
reason the reality TV shows that focus on weight loss are so popular.
In thinking about GOALS recently, I’ve found myself
reflecting on two groups of people: One, those who pursue goals without God; and, two, those who pursue
goals with God.
I think it’s important to honestly consider where
our goals originate. Do our goals
reflect what we want in our lives or what God wants? This is a very basic
question, but I believe it’s one we need to frequently think about. Our “wants”
and the selfishness that so frequently rears its ugly head in our lives, has to
be honestly confronted or we’ll cruise through life making ourselves and our
“wants” the center of the universe.
We can determine whether our goals originated in
God’s plan and purposes for our life by looking at several things:
The first question: Does my goal keep me moving closer to Jesus by helping me to daily
follow Him and represent Him in the world? On the surface this may seem
like a hyper-spiritual or fanatical way to approach life. Someone may argue,
“Not everything in life is spiritual. We shouldn’t have to make everything
about God.” I think this is a popular argument, though not always verbalized
among Christ followers. It’s more of a passive response, or something people
think, but don’t necessarily say. Personally, I’ve never seen someone who has
left God out of as area of their life who is truly close to the Lord. The
important word in that last sentence is “Lord.” When Jesus Christ is “supreme”,
which is the definition of “Lord”, He rules over every part of us.
The second question: What is my true motivation for setting my sights on a particular goal? We
can be motivated my many different things: Comfort
is a huge motivator. Most of us want life to be easier. Money is big. If people think they lack money, they’re often
influenced by the lie that if they had more, life would be better. I’ve met
many people, you have too, who have plenty of money and they’re miserable. Recognition is a major motivator. Many
people are motivated by a desire to be appreciated. Pleasure, from the angle of seeking sensual experiences to the
pursuit of happiness, is a dominating motivation in our world today. What’s
your true motivation?
In closing out today’s post, I want to offer a short
checklist to help in determining whether you’re pursuing goals without God:
- I can share my goal with a friend who is a strong [mature] follower of Christ. (Warning: You can always find someone who calls themselves a Christian, who will encourage you in your goal, no matter how wrong it may be. We need to be able to share our goal with the strongest Christian we know.)
- I can talk about my goal with others without having to offer an explanation (If not it’s a type of rationalization: “I know it’s not the best thing, but it’s just where I’m at right now.”)
- I have a clear sense of peace from God regarding my goal.
- I am confident my goal is helping me become a better follower of Jesus Christ.
I’m sure there are other things that could be added
to this list, but if you can check off all four of the above “I” statements it’s
a good sign you’re trusting God to direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-6) and give
you the goals that will lead to His best.
To be continued…
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