Intro: In 2013, Peter, our Board of Directors, and myself created a five year business plan and set a goal that accompanied our bank loan to purchase our present building. This business plan was built on mature faith in Christ’s provision; we decided we would ask the Lord to help us pay the building off in five years. God miraculously honored that goal through some amazing and generous people…because they kept their focus on the work of the Kingdom as we served the King.
Establishing and setting financial goals is always an essential part of wise living, because it keeps the important things in focus. Maintaining a budget these days is a must! If all we do, today, is blindly focus on our wants as we spend money, we will find ourselves unprepared tomorrow. Believers do not worry about tomorrow like God will in some way neglect to care for us, but we certainly should not live foolishly or beyond our means, because every decision we make, today, in some way affects tomorrow.
Another part of wise living is setting spiritual goals. For the believer, our first goal should be to die to sin and diligently live new life in Christ’s power. Our new life will be filled with new desires that bring new actions as we seek to reflect the character of Christ.
In our passage today, the Apostle Paul shares his spiritual goal with the church in Philippi and believers from every generation to follow. Do you have difficulty forgiving and forgetting the pain from your past? Paul understands. For Paul, he had to trust God to help him forget his spiritually ignorant and murderous actions against Christ’s followers. As we each press toward the goal of becoming more like Christ, let’s help and encourage one another to move beyond the past, as well. Let achieving your spiritual goal consume your energy, instead.
Philippians 3:12-14 NLT Pressing toward the Goal
12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Prayer: Thank you Lord, for teaching us how to live wisely by setting goals. Our spiritual goal, like the Apostle Paul, is to radiate your amazing character and trust in your provision to see us through. In Jesus’ name. Amen.