By Greg Johnson
2014 is here and, as usual, I find myself setting the usual goals: lose weight, save money, read the Bible cover to cover, do something unusual (for me, anyway, like run a 10K or something like that…). But here are 3 goals for 2014 that really are important to me.
1. Look more like Jesus. I don’t say this tritely, and I’m not just talking about the whole beard fad. (no offense…it looks great on you. I, on the other hand, would look like “Cookie” in an old western. End of digression.) When I compare my life to the life of Jesus, I find that I don’t stack up very well. I am selfish, greedy, impatient, judgmental and thoughtless…and that’s on a good day. Take away the fact that he was deity, and he was still an incredibly intriguing man. He loved in such a compelling way. He didn’t care what other people thought. He was crazy smart, especially in the way he used stories to make people look at things in a new way. He was undeterred in his mission, bleeding (literally) for the cause. Now, add to that he was God in the flesh, and it becomes mind-blowing. Miracles, healings, signs and wonders…and here’s the coolest part – Jesus said that I would do all that and even greater things. (John 14:12) So, one goal is to experience Jesus to the point that I begin to look like him a little more than I do now, in heart and action – more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control…
2. Be more concerned about people’s hearts than their actions. I am frustrated that mainstream Christianity is most known for what we are against, but I will join in. I am AGAINST ranting about the social issues of today, more concerned about people’s ACTIONS than their HEARTS. We (and I am generalizing) seem more concerned with behavior modification than with the depths of a person’s heart. And, unfortunately, we’ll never get the opportunity to hear a person’s heart if we are spending all our time screaming for his actions to change. Remember when Jesus stood in front of the firing squad on behalf of the woman caught in adultery? (John 8) He didn’t lead with, “You deserve what you’re about to get, so get your act together, then I’ll defend you.” Quite the opposite. He was willing to be stoned on her behalf. His act of LOVE is what gave him the platform in her life to say, “Go and sin no more.” Would people be willing to say that about me? Will I defend those whose lifestyle I vehemently disagree with in order to show them the LOVE of the Gospel? What if they never change? Can I love them in spite of? I’m quite sure this will be difficult to achieve, unless #1 becomes a reality.
3. Live more sacrificially. I need to be more sacrificial in every area of my life – with my time, with my money, with my talent, with my knowledge. I hoard all of these things. I want to give my time to things that matter. I want to serve more generously. I want to give my financial resources away, even at the expense of discomfort. I want to give away my talent, not merely when dollars are attached. I want to give away what I have learned and am learning, in order to help the next generation. This is a God-sized goal. And again, without Jesus, probably not realistic…
These are my three. How about yours?
Tagged: 2014, caring, Goal Setting, Goals, Jesus, Joy, patience, peace, sacrifice, sacrificial, thoughtful, thoughtless, transformation
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