Have you ever been in a situation where it doesn’t seem to matter what you do, you always come up short?  When you set goals or tasks for yourself and then time and time again you fail or somehow just don’t measure up to the standard created to reach success.  You’ve bought every self-help book, you’ve watched every YouTube video, and listened to every podcast.  But still, your goal remains elusive and fleeting.

What is going on?

I find myself all too often setting personal goals physically and spiritually and then despairing when I either don’t reach them or the results are not what I had hoped.  But here is the reality of most of those situations, I may have set the goal, but I never inquired with God as to what His guidance would be at that moment.  All too often I decide to embark on a great campaign of self-improvement, mental reflection, or life-altering venture, yet I never consult the very author of my life, Jesus Christ.

Do we ever ask the question, Whom is this goal going to serve?  Notice I said whom and not just who, self-improvement is truly important, but we should also ensure that the goals we set are going to benefit the Kingdom of God as well.  All too often our goals are self-serving and all about personal glory, there becomes little room for God’s glory to be shone and the light of Christ displayed.

In the Gospel of John Jesus said to his Disciples, “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him, God the Father has set his seal.” Jesus was calling upon his disciples to focus on the work of the Kingdom, not just the work of the world.  Interestingly disciple and discipline are two related words!  The words “disciple” and “discipline” both come from the Latin word discipulus, which means “student” or “follower of a master teacher”. The word “discipline” comes from the Latin word disciplina, which means “instruction and training”.

Perhaps one true quality missing from our goal setting is that we are not setting our goals as disciples of Christ, but merely individuals wanting personal change.  While the latter is possible, the former has the guidance and authority of Christ behind it.  When we set goals for ourselves we need to be making sure that Christ is the one that will ultimately be glorified, not just our petty egos.

Perhaps it is time that our discipline comes from our discipleship, and our goal-setting becomes Kingdom-oriented, in that way, God is glorified!

Blessings my friends!

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Pastor Mike McVey
Minister – First United Methodist Church, Fairfield TX
ACS Chaplain – United States Coast Guard, Station Galveston TX
Cell:  919-935-2513
Email:  pastormike@fumcfairfield.org