The Kind of Goals God Blesses

In review of 1 Corinthians 10:31 it says, “When you eat or drink or do anything else, always do it to honor God.”

Bottom Line:

Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, or do anything else, do it all for God's glory.

What this means to me:

In anything that I do, whether it be my regular routines or anything else, my goal should be to do it all for the glory of God.

Not every goal that I can set, is a good goal, and one that God’s going to bless. What I’m learning is that goals that God will bless come from asking myself two key questions:

“Will my goal honor God?”

God will bless any goal that causes me to trust in, depend on, love him and love other others more. It is the ones that serve God and others and require me to less selfish.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “When you eat or drink or do anything else, always do it to honor God” (CEV). Everything can be done to honor God. I can take out the garbage to honor God. I can wash dishes to honor God. I can study for a test to honor God. I do this by doing it with the right motive: gratitude. If I want my life to bring honor to God, my goals should help me be the best I can be for God’s glory.

“Is my goal motivated by love?”

God will not bless a goal I have that is motivated by greed, envy, guilt, fear, or pride. He will however honor a goal that is motivated by my desire to demonstrate love to him and to others. In the end life is all about learning how to love.

If I set loveless goals, I’ll end up treating people as projects. I’ll end up running all over them to get to reach my goal. I’ll end up running over my marriage, friends, and other people as I climb up the ladder of success. God says, “No. You've got it all wrong. It’s not about accomplishments. It’s about relationships. It’s about learning how to love.”

“Do everything in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14 NIV). The number one goal in my life should be to learn to really love; my family, neighbors, unlovely people, and those who are hard to love. Doing so will make me more like God, because God is love.

As I start to think about goals for the coming year, I should keep these two questions in mind (honoring God and motivated by love). Also, I should adjust my attitude when it comes to the menial tasks of the day. I should consider how I can do it to honor God in gratitude. In the long run it's often the small things that shape who I will ultimately be. All of these should be done in order to achieve God’s purpose for my life.