(This post has been slightly edited from its original version to reflect some insight offered in a comment by kimb. Thanks Kim!)
Sorry that it has been a while since my last post. As most of you know, I am in the throes of moving. Actually, it's more like a throw-down, and I am afraid I am staring at the lights, as Gary Soto so aptly explained the losing wrestler's plight in Living Up the Street. Anyway, the move will happen next week, Lord still willing, and then I may breathe again (after family camp, that is!).
All this work, however, has certainly given me time to think, and one of the things I have been thinking about is goals.
Goals, I find, are a bit of a muddy area for those who follow Christ, particularly those who are strong on the sovereignty of God. There is, after all, a certain amount of presumption in setting a goal. It would be easy, wouldn't it, to say that those who set goals are "getting ahead of God"?
And yet my own "life verse," 1 Thessalonians 4:11, begins with these words (NIV): "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life..." You could make an interpretative case--and probably the right case--that the Bible was never meant to be a goal-setting guide, but there is no denying that the concept is there in 1 Thess 4:11 (and in other places I am sure some of you will mention as we talk this one out).
Some, I would guess, may think down these lines: if a goal comes to fruition, then God is in it. We might call this the Gamaliel test, based on the advice of the Jewish council leader who said in Acts 5:38-39 (in so many words): "Failed actions are of men; successful actions are of God." A lot of theological weight has been placed on this "wisdom," but these teachers somehow forget at least two things: (1) Gamaliel was a leader in the opposition; hence, his wisdom may have been no wisdom at all; and (2) plenty of godly men and women have seen their best efforts amount to failure, at least from our temporal human perspective, which is usually all we have to go on.
We may be better helped by what we could call the Martin Luther test, wherein the albeit imperfect Reformer suggested that we sin boldly, which I have always taken to mean that we should do what we determine to be our best course of action in light of God's Word, going after it with our best effort, and should it turn out to be dead wrong in God's eyes (sin), we can at least say at the judgment that we used all the faculties God gave us in this woeful effort. By the way, Luther went on to say that we should believe even more boldly, which is precisely what allows us to throw ourselves confidently under God's grace when we do sin boldly.
So I would certainly challenge you to set goals, coupled with the necessary discipline(s) to accomplish them, and especially goals toward matters of righteousness as Scripture lays them out for us. For in the end, I can say without equivocation that if you set humility as your goal, or mercy, or peace, or reconciliation, or hospitality, or on and on, you'll find yourself in a position to succeed at that goal and to keep pursuing that goal all at once and all your life.
QUESTIONS FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT COMMENT
- Have you ever thought about goal-setting in any of the ways mentioned above? Were your thoughts in line with what you read here, or contrary to them?
- Do you see any chance at misuse of our time or talents before God when we set goals and go after them? How great do you think this danger is?
- Goals are inherently fearsome for some people. Why do you think this is? How might we best help someone in this position?
- What would be a goal that you would like to set before you or your family at this time? How might we come alongside you in praying for this goal?
God Keeps Leading
11 years ago
30 comments:
This is a thoughtful post, Jeff. I've been chewing on it for awhile, although my current goals aren't very lofty.
Our past two weeks with Mighty Joe have me pondering our priorities anyway, and I believe our goals will reflect the changes God will certainly make in our home.
Love you, brother-
K
We presume to know the difference between success and failure.
If we agree that we see only shadows and impressions, that the "glass" obscures our perspective; do we not agree that our evaluation of success vs. failure is partial and tainted?
Even if I could be perfectly obedient, and always have a right attitude, those do not entitle me to specific results that I select. In other words, my only job is to serve my master; it is my master's job to define and measure the success of his own venture.
I do not critique God.
How this comment relates to goal setting and achievement will have to wait for later.
I am a firm believer in the sovereignty of God. I also believe that we are, dare I say, “called” to set goals in life. There may be a danger in “getting ahead of God,” but that can happen with or without clear goals. We always need to strive to be in line with God. I’d say that is a great goal for all of us. ☺
My Mac dictionary lists one definition of goal as “the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.” Your “life verse” is a great example of God giving instruction for us to have ambition for a goal. There are several verses that start with “Make every effort to…” What follows would also be, in my opinion, goals set for us by God. If we fail to reach one of them, like “to be holy” (Hebrews 12:14) does that mean that it was not of God that we be holy, as Gamaliel implied? I don’t think that at all.
But I think it is so easy for Christians to believe that if they fail to meet the goals they set, that “God was not in it,” or it was not God’s plan. This brings doubt and confusion, that maybe they did not hear God in the beginning as they thought they had. I believe this can be a tool of the enemy to be honest. At the same time, we don’t always get it right. We sometimes do set out to meet goals that are not a part of God’s plan, and he brings a stop to our plans. Again, it is very important to try to align ourselves with God and set the goals that he desires for us. We can do this by delighting in him.
One of my “life verses,” to use your term, (one which has probably been given to many, if not all of you at one time or another), is Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”(NIV) I was first given this verse in 1989 according to the note in the margin of my Bible. Since then I have been on a long journey toward discovering what it really means to “delight myself in the Lord” and what it means to be given “the desires of my heart.” I am still learning, but I have found that my desires must align with God’s desires, and this only happens by delighting in Him, knowing Him, spending time with Him and in his word. So if a goal is defined as a “desired result,” then if I am to get the desires of my heart when I delight myself in the Lord, doesn’t that mean that I will reach my goals as I make God my focus and in turn am aligned with Him?
I would also like to say that the word “goal” is in the NIV Bible.
Philippians 3:14 directs our thoughts to the greatest goal of all, eternal life with God– “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Galatians 3:3 warns against seeking goals outside of God, by following the Law and using our own efforts– “Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?”
And in 2 Corinthians 5:9 Paul and Timothy share their goal with the church in Corinth– “So we make it our goal to please [the Lord], whether we are at home in the body or away from it.”
I would encourage all of you to read these verses in context, and not rely on my interpretation. Share what you know about “goals” in the Bible.
First, the Gamaliel test only makes sense if we assume that 1) God’s goals will succeed. 2) All other goals will fail. 3) Human beings have enough information and intelligence to know when an endeavor is completed. 4) That human beings can accurately measure the success or failure of any given venture. These are questions up for debate.
Second, Gamaliel did not call his statement a test. He simply asserted a line of reasoning, a disclaimer of sorts, for his decision. The Jewish faith is not built on doctrine or creed. It is built on a promise. God promised Israel that together, they would be victorious. Gamaliel’s assertion makes these assumptions: God will win. All others will lose.
An important thing to recognize about the Jewish faith is: It is primarily understood retrospectively. Gamaliel spoke from a Jewish mindset that sees the success of God’s endeavors in every landmark of faith. Every look backward, frames events in terms of their ends, the fruition of God’s plan for each endeavor. From that perspective, God and his people always win, and everyone else always loses. Whenever things appear to be otherwise, the Jewish mind assumes that the victory is still in progress; the end has not yet come.
Gamaliel’s meaning might be paraphrased: Listen, I don’t really know how to call this one. I’m not ready to embrace Jesus as the Messiah. I’m also not ready to dismiss him entirely. What I am sure of is this: No matter what, God will win; even if he has to take me out to do it. The truth is, only time will tell who’s on God’s side or not.
His statement is absolutely true. However, it has little to do with evaluating the success of failure of individuals and their personal goals, in a forward-looking mode. Only time will tell whether our perception of success or failure lines up with success in God’s kingdom. What looks to us like success in business or sport or fame, may be a clear catastrophe when it’s all said and done.
The Gamaliel test is not a valid way to measure how one’s personal (or even corporate) goals align with God’s purposes. It is not a promise for the appearance of success today. In fact, our goals and efforts may be completely righteous, and we may appear to fail. What about Jesus? His ministry was a failure that Friday afternoon. He couldn’t even get his best friends to believe him. He certainly didn’t have success, as we would define it. He was a nobody, and he was right on target.
So, I just blathered on there ... sorry, folks. I'll make this comment personal :)
Here's Part II of my response.
I don't really think Gamaliel and Luther were very far apart (regarding this question. On others ... That's a whole different conversation). I really appreciate this bold approach: I make the best decision I can, given the resources available, and then commit to the course as faithfully as possible. But no matter how passionately I am working toward a goal, God can change my direction at any time.
If you've known me long enough, you've seen this in action. I throw myself into whatever I believe God is calling me to do. If anyone is a bold sinner, it's me. I'm an intense person, and not afraid to be transparent. It's obvious to others when God charts a course correction for me. I fairly announce it with a bullhorn (not always the best idea, or so I've been told).
The way I see it, knowing that God has my best interest in mind, allows me to trust him. He knows the plans he has for me. I'm not afraid that I won't get there, just because I haven't gotten there yet. And all these false starts and course corrections are not failures. I see them as pit-stops, points of interest, and necessary detours. In this upside-down kingdom, God enjoys showing his glory via our weakness. Wrong turns and roundabouts are all redeemed, and part of how we are formed into the image of Christ. Through our wounds he teaches compassion. By his healing work we often find our kingdom callings.
God takes the scenic route, on purpose.
The fact is, I do set personal goals (because God has never put a filled out Dayplanner in my mailbox, yet) but I don't really know where I'm going. I just know who I'm following.
Let's say God tells me, "Go to Carrow's and get a pie." But when I get to Carrow's, they are closed and I can't get a pie. I don't see this as a failure on my part or God's part. I see that I am motivated by simple things, like my own desire for pie. I don't know what God's going to say next, but at least I'm at Carrow's. For some reason that's where he wants me right now. The next instruction will come in good time.
My sense is, God knows how much we can handle. He knows how much we can be pushed. He knows what will motivate us. He's a really smart parent that sets us up for success, and lets us learn from our mistakes. Never does he stop being the ultimate safety net. Never does he abandon our best interest, or the ultimate goal.
Amy,
Your comment reminds me of a picture I have drawn in other places, including your own living room table I believe. To put it in words would be to say that much of my understanding through the years of God's plan for me as changed greatly as I have seen and experienced the facts that exist in the world.
For a long time, I adhered to the thinking (theology?) that God draws our life-plan in a straight line, from birth to death. It is, shall we say, the line of righteousness--what He requires of us. We then spend much of our lives falling off that line and having to repent and recover. This is not an altogether inaccurate picture, and repentance and recovery are an importnat part of our lives, but the picture suggests too strongly that we surprise God with our actions.
Now my understanding is this: God, in His infinite, foreseeing knowledge, draws the line of our lives, birth to death, quite squiggly. He knows that we will wander and He allows us to wander and He uses the wanderings to lead us to Point Z, His eventual goal for us (see, even God has goals!). In other words, when we throw up our hands at the situations that surprise us and say, "God knows," He really does! And in that we can trust Him best and most.
I have a picture (that I have been pondering for a while, but may still need some tweaking by God) of our lifeline as a tree that sprouts from one seed and is grounded in God. It grows up and as branches, (or paths we can take), emerge we have choices as to which branches to give our time and effort to. Some branches lead to a lot of fruit, some to great growth and/or abundance, some to death - areas that need to be pruned or cut off. We must be continually grounded in Christ or else the whole tree dies, but we can be a part of many branches at once, and none of it surprises God. He knows all along which branches lead to what. And if we are attentive, we will use our gifts and talents to allow God to use us to bring fruit and growth to the branches he sees fit to bless.
It is less of a timeline to me and more of a cycle of life that works in season as God deems for us as individuals. Some of us have many seasons of fruit, and some of us perhaps only one. I believe God to be sovereign in that as well.
But I'm still letting God reveal the full picture to me...
Yeah, another post!
I'm gonna think on this, Kim. I really appreciate that you cut through our Western assumptions of time and growth as linear processes. Your model doesn't attempt to measure success, but organic growth.
God's good gifts support this growth through nourishment from the ground and the sun, and a safe foundation. His sovereignty contains our growth by regulating the seasons, removing dead wood, and pruning new growth.
This is a worthwhile image, Kim.
I wonder what goals you would have to set to see His glory?
I see God's glory everyday.
Would you clarify the question, Aquila? I'm not sure I understand.
Since God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him, what if one lined up goals with this in mind. If I have a goal to lose 25 lbs, there is another goal after that..ex. I want to lose 25 lbs because my goal is to be healthier in life. So if the goal is to see His glory, what goals would one have to set to achieve that? Crispy says he sees God's glory everyday, and he may be fully satisfied in that, cool, but if one wanted to see a greater glory beyond the trees, sky, creation etc, could we not set goals here to achieve. Now dont get lost on the technical definition of what a goal is... im sure there will be argument on that point, and indeed maybe im not right on target, but look at the big picture, going higher, deeper, further into God requires footwork. I hope that helps.
To see God’s glory magnified is the mega-goal of my life.
Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10.31
My greatest desire is that every goal of mine would glorify God. This is a very present motivator, not simply a philosophical position. I don’t mean to imply that I do this well. I am ignorant and unfaithful, despite my best efforts. This is why I put my faith in Jesus.
I have been blessed with remarkable healings. Through Jesus, I hope to bless others with the same blessing that I have received. The following are a few of my goals in two categories: outcome goals and process goals.
OUTCOME GOALS
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4.7
1. Serve the Lord until the end.
2. Stay married to my man until one of us croaks.
3. Launch my children into the world.
4. Do the work of the kingdom among the least of these until the end. Currently: Complete requirements for Licensed Marriage, Family and Child Counselor in response to this call (i.e. Carrow's).
PROCCESS GOALS
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth. … Pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord with a pure heart.
2 Timothy 2.15 & 22
1. Grow in active love for God and his people.
2. Grow in passion for the lost and hurting of the world
3. Grow in skills needed to fulfill the call on my life
4. Listen more, speak less
5. Increase in knowledge of the Word and the Law
6. Decrease in self consciousness and self service
7. Love more
8. Sin less
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. If you speak, you should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If you serve, you should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4.10-11
As you can see, my list is pretty broad. Mini goals (objectives), like showing up to school and turning in my assignments, add up to accomplishing the big goals. The example of losing 25 lbs. would fall into this category. Deferring basic physical needs (unless specifically instructed) is shooting myself in the foot. Not gonna work out well.
All this is to say, my hope is that all my goals are in pursuit of God's glory through righteous living.
Note: Undercover goals are in conflict with the pursuit of God's glory. These are entangled with my cultural setting, perceived needs, and the expectations of others. That idea will require another post. Maybe later.
I didn't say I was satisfied. And I'm not talking about trees (although they are magnificent). Life is a journey traveled and doing so for God's glory and not mine is a constant endeavor. I find that when I am pursuing God He finds ways to reveal His glory to me. Sometimes it's through other people. Sometimes it's through trees. Sometimes the clouds part. God's glory is all around us and is in us. We are His greatest creation and He loves us. That relationship reveals God's glory. If we don't live by seeking God, then why should we live at all? If it weren't for the revelation of God's glory in my life, I wouldn't be alive today. God's glory is forever and it is constantly causing me to find new ways of seeing God. As far as goals are concerned, I'm with those who feel that our greatest is to live our lives pursuing what God has for us to do here in this place. I have a hard time seeing anything wrong with that.
Amy well put, and im intrigued by undercover goals? Crispy.. no offense, but "I see God's glory everyday" just has an "Ive arrived " air to it so I made the assumption you were satisfied..my mistake, I apologize, please forgive me. I guess when we live to seek God, we never know what we will find, but for me, and just for me...I feel like im scratching at the surface of a very deep well...so while I agree that God reveals glorious things in many ways each day to us..(all of which im grateful) theres a secret place, and in it is a greater glory.
Aquila,
Can you please tell me more about the "secret place" that you spoke of? Is it mentioned in scripture?
(And I do not intend to be adversarial here. I really do want to know what you are speaking of.)
Thanks.
007 of the Goal World
Ah, yes … the undercover goals. Some would call these motivations.
1. Maximize comfort
2. Minimize risk
3. Avoid pain
4. Avoid loss
5. Obtain power
6. Prove myself
7. Look good
When these goals supersede the others, I get sidetracked. For instance, I have an expectation that I will live in a house with hot running water on demand, phone service, electricity, locks on the doors, etc. These aren’t bad goals, unless they get in the way of my obedience to God’s call. This is where things get tricky.
A lot of energy is spent seeking these goals. When we aren’t aware of their influence we say things like, “I can’t” instead of “I won’t” or “I don’t want to even think about losing everything I’ve spent my life building, even if God is calling me.” We think we can’t give more, or do more, or love more, or whatever, because we can’t risk failing at these unconsidered goals.
Greater Glory
I couldn’t agree with you more. There is always more of God than we see now. The truth of God is so incredibly deep, we would be terrified to see much below surface scratches. What we see already, LeRon Schults calls a “delightful terror.” Even people who’ve seen further into the mysteries of God than most, have only scratched off a few more millimeters of topsoil than the rest of us. I don’t think we have any idea how enormous God is, or how awful.
Its a place God allows me to enter, and He meets me there. Its a place where I "meet with him" and something happens. Physically almost everytime I have felt tremendous surges running through my body, almost like warm electrical surges...and I can hear Him ever so clear. He is always powerfully present in the secret place. The first time I got in it scared me, and I wanted out and whoosh...just like that it was over.
The last time it happened it scared me. I had been whining about how things were turning out, and how God was not living up to my expectations...and He shows up, and tells me "to brace myself like a man" Talks to me about "My words without knowledge" and by the time He is done with me I feel like Job 38 has been gently done to me. But even gently, its scary. And this last time there were no warm fuzzies.
Usually though, He talks to me, affirms me, loves on me, picks me up, strengthens, redirects if needed...and its very real.
It doesn't happen often, I pray everyday, but the secret place might happen once every month or so, or not...it started almost 30 years ago...and there has been years separating one visit from another.
The one common theme through it all is He encourages me to go to higher places. To not settle. He reminds me that His word is true, and in it to find the glorious riches of His promises..and that the purpose behind that is love for the brethren, because I am being equipped for the common good.
I hope this helps Kim, and while we dont agree on everything I do not consider you an adversary, you are more like an adviser...and I appreciate your insights.
Amy, I love your last post on undercover goals, and need to say those motivations are way too much of a driving force in my life.
OK. I have also entered the "secret place." I just did not label it as such. I also can try as I might (set a goal) to enter it, but it seems it is always up to God whether or not I am able to.
Have you read the book The Dark Night of the Soul? The description of how it seems to happen for me (sometimes entering easily, sometimes try as I may I can't get in, but always seems to be on God's terms, kind of like "seasons") is explained in detail in that book. I know catd recommended this book to TFH readers and I would concur that we should all read it! :)
Aquila- I think your secret place is most definitely real and is a place where, if we allow Him, God will use it to show us real things. I think that as goals go, wanting to be closer to God should be very normal for all of us. My only thought is that this secret place may not be the only way to approach this need for God's closeness. To be honest, I'd be happy with only occasional secret place visits if I could just get it through my head that God is with me all the time in a very real way. It would be wonderful if our lame human brains could wrap around the fact that we only need to be obedient all the time (I'm being a little sarcastic here, if you don't know me it could be hard to follow). My feeling is that while I constantly want more from my relationship with God, I'm trying to be willing to allow things to happen on His terms. I don't know if that makes sense, but it does in my head.
Let's see if I get this right.
I think you're saying that, this secret place is a spiritual reality where your whole self knows the presence of God. Once there, you find an extraordinary experience of intimacy and openness to his work in your mind and heart. And in order to know this glorious, life changing presence, you spend time meditating on God's goodness, while eliminating as much distraction (both external and internal) as possible. This is as a disciplined obedience that is always beneficial, and sometimes beyond incredible.
Wow!!! I love how God works. For you, this kind of spiritual communion with him is so important that you structure your life around it. It is a necessary part of your process towards holiness. Awesome!
I have had similar experiences. I don't know if you'll believe me or not, but one of the most intense and intimate times I've ever had with the Lord happened while I was listening to an academic theological lecture. I kid you not. I had pencil in hand, eyes and ears wide open, and notes in progress. The truths spoken there moved me so intensely that I thought I might not survive the expansion of my heart, but I didn't want it to stop. Time seemed to suspend. I had the physical sensation that the inside of me was bigger than the outside; as though my spirit was encasing my body, not the other way around. I cried. The friends who were with me rolled their eyes in good humor and said: Yup, that's Amy.
I share this because I want to testify to the greatness of God. He is so enormous, so gloriously vast. He truly enters into intimate knowing with each of us, reveling in our uniqueness so much that he enters into our present experience. What's important is not that we fall in line with some externally prescribed system, but that we fall into the reality of God with us.
It is totally up to God as to when,and where, thats one of the things about Him that is so tough, His agenda, and schedule completely override mine, and sometimes I question His thinking. I can quiet myself before Him, play worship music, jump up and down and stand on my head, but its only when He is ready for that time does it happen. And as I said, sometimes it has been over a year of waiting. But one thing I will share is its usually when I am in desperate need and at the end of my rope that He intervenes. A couple of times its happened when times have been good.Its all up to Him.
Crispy, I hear you, and I totally relate. Obedience does not always come easy, and the things He asks seem to grow in testing of my faith. Last sunday God asked me to kneel down in front of people while the service was going on. I fought it for about 2 minutes, it made no sense doing it, it was completely out of place. But I did it in the end feeling quite foolish as I did it. When I finally relented, I felt a cool wind blow over me... and that was it, I still cant tell you what that was about. But this I know...10 years ago I wouldn't have done it, or given it a second thought...Then there is the other kind of obedience where i do the right thing, and not sin... i'm still working on that. God is close my friend, and He sings over you.
My secret place is where God shows up at His whim, comes right in, invades my distorted, broken reality, sees me all disheveled, and confused. (This is a common state for me) and He intersects me. Sometimes He is tender, sometimes He is stern, but no matter what He gives me exactly what I need and binds me up, brushes me off, helps me to my feet, and sends me off on my way with a new attitude.If it were up to me it would happen when I want it too... but its sovereign, (I dont like that word).
Of course I believe you and I think its great the diverse ways He revives us. My prayer is that one day when you are lecturing He will impact your audience in the same way.
So, how would you answer your previous question about goals and the glory of God?
Hmmmm im not sure how to answer it. I always try to logically figure it out. ex. greater effort+greater prayer life + greater self denial = greater glory? The only problem with my thinking is it doesn't work. Other than that there is no problem. So if I told you I had an answer,,, i would be less than honest. But I do sometimes wonder, is it relationship, is it trust,and faith. How does one get God's favor? There are some people in the bible that God seemed to really favor, and share Himself with, and I want that... and I don't even know if the reason I want that is backed by pure motives.... you see, there I go thinking again.
Hmmm...
Thanks for your honesty aquila. I think a lot of us are in that same boat. So perhaps our first goal should be to have God help us check our motives, and then our goal can be to do everything in love and as as a response to Love. If we all individually, and as the body, set that one goal, and were somehow by the grace of God able to achieve it, would that not reveal God's glory in a magnificent way?
I'm with Kim. We could all kindly decline to wrestle with God, and just give trite answers. But none of us wants that.
When we look at biblical accounts of people whom God especially blessed, they each played a part in bearing the blessing of the Messiah. In the OT, special blessings were given to "landmarks" of Jesus' lineage (both physically and spiritually). In the NT, special blessings were given to those who 1) verify the identity of Jesus as Messiah; and 2) bless the world by spreading the Gospel.
Along with this special blessing and favor usually came a generous portion of suffering and misery. We especially see this at work in Jesus' life. He is our ultimate example. As such, we can assume that God's blessing includes a significant accompaniment of pain. In fact, pain might be the main course, with a side of comfort (maybe a gravy of comfort, I'm not sure).
Pain really clashes with my undercover goals
amen
Its funny how the human mind works....but when something is difficult or painful, you will remember the difficulty and pain a lot more than if it were an easy task or problem. Just my 2 cents.
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