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Snapshot

My Dear Friend,

Knowing one’s goal is essential to succeed in wars, sports, and spiritual life.

In war, military forces determine and pursue objectives: to turn back an invading force; to encircle and cut off an army; to bomb strategic sites vital to one’s enemy; to take cities, terrain, or capitals. Whichever combatant does this most successfully wins the war.

In sports, goals are clearly defined and points assigned for reaching them: the ball goes through the hoop in basketball; the runner or receiver takes the football into the end zone; the wrestler pins his opponent to the mat; or the boxer lands blows or knockdowns on his opponent. Whichever team or contestant scores the most points by the end of the game, match, or bout is declared the winner.

These facts long associated with the military and sports worlds are so clearly understood, we take them for granted. But when it comes to spiritual life, our viewpoint suddenly gets blurred and foggy.

Most Christians are not so sure what “victory” looks like. Once we are saved, baptized in the Spirit, discipled, and begin experiencing tests, what is the end God wants us to reach in life? What brings Him joy? We know what brings us joy, but most of us don’t know what delights Him. And if we don’t know the goal - God’s objectives - how can we be victorious? So, what is our goal in the Christian walk?

Oswald Chambers taught that what we call the process, God calls the end - or goal. When in distressing tests of faith and endurance, we usually focus on the end - being released from the distress of trial and reentering the rest of normalcy. This is completely understandable. I can certainly identify with this and you can too.

But this is not spiritual, or Christlike, thinking. Nor is it the goal God wants us to reach in this life. That goal is shown us in Daniel 3.

The “contestants” described there, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego, were absolutely uncompromising in their faith in and obedience to God. Are we? For their loyalty to God, Babylon’s godless king, Nebuchadnezzar, tossed them into a fiery furnace. It looked like a swift, sure, shameful defeat. To us, the three boys would have been victorious only if God saved His three devoted servants before they fell into the fire. That would have been a quick, wonderful, honorable win. But God had another goal in mind and another way to reach it.

When the three Hebrew boys walked uprightly, faithfully, and in close fellowship with Jesus in Nebuchadnezzar’s cruel crematorium (Dan. 3:25), that was God’s goal, not their release, honor, and promotion which shortly followed (Dan. 3:26-30). God was after character formation in the three, creating a fully formed, enduring, spiritual likeness to Himself and His Son. And He got it! Then they got what they wanted: release!

The same pattern appears often in the biblical record. For instance, Paul and Silas hold a spontaneous prayer and praise meeting while grievously wounded and confined in stocks in a filthy prison . . . then God releases them by an earthquake! Or, Peter sleeps soundly between two Roman soldiers on the eve before his scheduled execution, completely confident Christ will deliver him to fulfill His prophecy to him (see Jn. 21:18-19; Acts 12:6) . . . then God sends an angel to lead him out (Acts 12:7-1)! And we could go on describing spiritual trailblazers who marked the way to God’s goal for us. What does all this mean to us?

When we can maintain calm faith, fervent prayer, faithful service, regular praise and worship, and close fellowship with Jesus in our distressing, painful, and humbling life challenges, without a twinge of self-pity or one murmur of complaint, that is God’s goal. Can’t do it? Think again! With Christ’s nature and Spirit assisting you within, you can do it as surely as Paul, Peter, or the three Hebrew boys. If you are willing. If you provide the will, God will provide the way.

And once you reach God’s goal, and live in it a while (see 1 Pet. 5:10-11), He may release you at any moment. And by the time you get from Him what you want (release), He will have gotten from you what He wants (Christlike maturity). Then you can give God’s people what they really want: a spiritually mature man or woman, ready to show them the way to spiritual victory! “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). Can you see the goal now?

And one more thing. Sometimes we get frustrated because our governments, leaders, or health officials keep changing the goalposts on us. We achieve their stated goals only to discover they’ve changed them, and now there’s something more or different we must do. Ever faithful and true, God doesn’t do this. His goalposts don’t move! They are the same today as they were in ancient times. So, go for the goal!

Pursuing the goal…