November 24, Goals

Today’s reading: Psalms 116-120

“I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation” - Psalm 118:13-14.

David was not simply a defensive warrior, but he often went on the offensive and met with stiff resistance. Then there were times when his enemies tried to push him back, but he refused to yield any ground, and called on the Lord for help. The Apostle Paul was also a warrior, and he encountered the same opposition from external forces as well as internal forces like fear. How did Paul keep from retreating or falling back? He set goals and those kept him on the advance as he reported in one of his letters:

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, 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 3:12-14).

Are you advancing and progressing in life, or are you stagnant or even losing ground? Do you have goals? Are they enough to press against what’s resisting your progress so that you can move forward and grow? Write out two or three goals that will help you regain the momentum that the Lord would want you to experience.