Spiritual Disciplines Part 1:   Setting Goals

"For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope".  Jeremiah 29:11

     What kind of spiritual goals have you set up for yourself this year? Do you think setting goals is important or is it just something people do when they want to lose weight or start a new business?  I have always been a spur of the moment person and so setting goals is a challenge for me.  I completely understand if you look at goals and think you are wasting your time, but that does not mean I agree with it. I have consciously decided that I need to start setting them, so this is the walk-through of my Alpha attempt at it.

     The first thing I am doing is keeping an "Idea Notepad" where every time I have a new idea, be it good or be it bad; I am writing it down.  When you have a memory like mine it makes me wonder why I never have done it before....maybe I just forgot too.  I have also decided to make writing regularly a major goal. I don't care what topic or what length, I just need to make myself start doing it.  I am inspired by a quote I saw from Epictetus while I was in college. Epictetus was a Stoic philosopher which meant he believed you should not show any emotion over events that happen in this physical world, you should only express major care over the things that were of heavenly value. Here's the quote....

                          "If you wish to be a writer, write."

      How simple and yet profound that is! Can you imagine a world where people just did what they wanted to do? We have jobs to do, bills to pay, mortgage payments to make. How can a person just DECIDE to write and expect things to fall in place. Well, I am not here telling you I intend to be a famous writer next week, but what I am saying is that if I ever do want to have any level of success I need to go ahead and start. That is the lesson of Epictetus, if you want to do something you can't wait around hoping it will happen someday. You have to go ahead and take the leap of faith into that unknown.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where   thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also".   -Matthew 6:19-21

     When we think about setting goals we must also take into account our spirituality. We cannot solely focus on this world and expect to be happy. We should be storing up our treasures in heaven by making sure we live our lives to please God. I challenge you if you are reading this to make it your goal to be a little more intentional with God. Think about the Hebrews of the Old Testament when God would do something for them they would set up monuments to the memory of what God had done. Here is where God showed me the way, here is where he defeated our enemies etc.....

I am not suggesting reading this entry, getting off and immediately changing your life 180 degrees. However, maybe think about being a little more purposeful, to have a little more fervor in whatever you are doing. If it is praying, pray a little longer. If it is reading your Bible, do it a little more. If it is going the extra mile for someone....maybe look into going two.  Just be intentional!

 -Jason


( The idea of Spiritual Disciplines is taken from the Bible Studies we have been doing at mine and my wife's home for a few years now and our current study is material I am writing called "Spiritual Disciplines"   and this blog will be a chronicle of some of my personal feelings and thoughts I have that I didn't get to share in small group, or feel need to be said again.)