Spiritual Goals

Well, brethren, most of us here just returned from observing the Feast of Tabernacles on the last great day. We had a marvelous, inspiring feast. We rejoiced in the feast. We really enjoyed eight beautiful days of worship, eight wonderful days of fellowship with God's people, and eight tremendous days of being reminded of and learning more of God's ways. In fact, we have some guests that are staying with us this weekend, so we're extending the feast a little bit. Had a wonderful meal last night in McKinney with them, and really enjoyed that. So we love the feast. It's wonderful to fellowship, to get together, to enjoy all of that, to have our spiritual batteries recharged. Hopefully we've all been rejuvenated spiritually. It may be exhausting physically. In fact, some people aren't here today because they're probably exhausted from the feast. But spiritually, we've been rejuvenated. But will we be able to keep our spiritual batteries charged for the next several months between now and God's spring holy days? Some people talk about the post-feast letdown or the post-feast blues. Hopefully we'll be able to avoid all of that this year.

Specific, concrete spiritual goals can make a difference. They can make a real big difference in your spiritual outlook and well-being during the weeks and the months that are leading up to another spiritual lift. God's spring holy days! We're a long way from that now. But if we stay focused and have spiritual goals that we are continually reminding ourselves of, we can certainly make things go a lot better for us spiritually. So having spiritual goals for the next several months will help us stay spiritually focused and will make the time pass even more quickly than otherwise. According to a study at the Harvard School of Business, only 3 percent of American adults ever take time to write down their goals. How many of you have taken the time necessary to write out your spiritual goals? Maybe even less. Probably less people have done that to write out their spiritual goals. So just what spiritual goals do you have? Do you have a list of goals that you are continually working toward spiritually? It's been proven over and over again that goals do make a big difference when it comes to achieving and accomplishing more and reaching greater heights in our lives, both materially and also spiritually. In my former life as a salesman and a business owner, I was constantly reminded of the importance of having goals. I would get my calculator out and I would try to figure out how much money I wanted to make in the upcoming year and how much business I had to do to reach that goal. I crunched the numbers a lot and it really did help me stay focused in terms of making money because the amount of money I made was directly related to how hard I worked and how many sales calls I made and a lot of different factors like that. So having goals really did help me accomplish more. I didn't set goals that were lower than they were last year. You always try to raise the bar a little bit, try to increase, try to improve, and that would also help me stay on track. My sales manager would not have been real impressed if I came in with something half as big as the year before. If I came in with a goal that was puny, he probably wouldn't keep me around very long. He would want me to set some realistic goals but also to challenge myself to greater heights. Being stagnant, staying the same, or doing less, wasn't acceptable. So I think from a spiritual perspective, we should also look at it in the same way. You know, God says to He who overcomes, will I grant to sit with me. So that means we're overcoming sin, we're overcoming bad habits, we're overcoming things, which means we're improving, and we're getting better spiritually. So it does make sense to have some spiritual goals that we can work toward that will help us stay focused. So from a spiritual perspective, which is a lot more important than a physical one, and a lot of people do spend a lot of time on physical goals, especially when it comes to making money and that sort of thing, really we should spend adequate time considering our spiritual goals. It's not acceptable to be stagnant spiritually. It's not acceptable to stay the same. God wants us to improve. He wants us to grow. We should not go backwards, obviously. We shouldn't be backsliders, right? Scripture tells us a lot about that sort of thing, going backwards. So let's talk about some goals today.

First of all, why is it important to have spiritual goals? Why should we do it? Well, as I mentioned already, number one, spiritual goals help us stay focused. They help us stay on the right track. Number two, spiritual goals help us use our time more effectively. So have you ever frittered away your time and looked back and regretted the fact that you just watched three hours of TV and didn't even pray that day? You didn't take time to study the Bible that day, but somehow you found time to watch three hours of TV or maybe more, watched football games all day, but didn't pray, didn't study your Bible? What does that tell you about your goals? Is it that you didn't have any goals spiritually? And that's why you were able to just go throughout the whole day without praying or without reading the Bible, without studying the Bible. And we've all been guilty of that. Every last one of us, I'm sure, has been guilty of that. So spiritual goals help us use our time more effectively. And thirdly, as I mentioned also, spiritual goals will help us grow spiritually. They will help us get stronger spiritually. If we don't have goals, we're not going to improve. So, let's ask this question. Does Jesus Christ, our Savior, encourage us to have spiritual goals? Can we find in the Bible that Christ encourages us to have spiritual goals? Well, let's go to Matthew chapter 5, the Sermon on the Mount, verse 48, where we see that Christ certainly does encourage us to have spiritual goals. And what is the goal that he sets for us? Matthew chapter 5, verse 48. Here, the Scripture says, therefore you shall be perfect.

That's a high goal, isn't it? Therefore you shall be spiritually mature. You shall be perfect. Therefore, that's what we're supposed to be doing. We're supposed to be moving toward spiritual perfection. That is our goal spiritually, is to become like God, to be born into the family of God. We've talked about that at the Feast of Tabernacles, and on the last great day, the eighth day, we've talked about the importance of staying on the right track, because only those who are called chosen and faithful, only those people will be in the kingdom of God, called chosen and faithful. We have to stay faithful. So, it's important that we're moving in the right direction. And our goal, as Christ says, therefore you shall be perfect.

So, that is a high and a lofty goal, isn't it? To become perfect. God doesn't expect us to reach perfection in this human life, but he does expect us to strive for perfection. He does want us to strive for this spiritual perfection, putting sin out of our lives. And the Holy Days picture that. They picture God's plan of salvation and moving toward perfection. Also, let's go to Matthew 6. Again, the Sermon on the Mount.

Christ says in verse 25, therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life. That shouldn't be something you're so focused on. That shouldn't be a goal. You know, how much can I worry? That should certainly not be a goal, but do not worry about your life, what you will eat, what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on the clothing and that sort of thing, the material things.

It's not life more than food and the body more than clothing. Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sown or reaped nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? So, you don't have to worry about those things.

You don't have to be anxious about those things, because God will provide those things. As long as you have your priorities straight, as long as you are focused on the spiritual goals that God wants you to have, which of you, by worrying, can add one cubit to His stature? People spend a lot of time worrying, don't they? A lot of time agonizing over things, and really, they should have their minds focused on something positive, not something negative, like wondering what's going to happen and whether or not we'll be able to accomplish this or that.

Don't worry about those things. Put that in God's hands. So, why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. And yet, I say to you that even Solomon, in all of his glory, was not a raid like one of these. God takes care of them. Now, if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Therefore, do not worry, saying, What shall we eat? or what shall we drink? or what shall we wear? For after all these things, the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

God's fully aware that you need those physical things. He knows you need food. He knows you need water. He knows you need clothes. He knows you need these physical things. But He wants us to seek first the Kingdom of God. That should be our goal. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. The righteousness of God, the righteousness of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. And all these things shall be added. So don't seek those other things. Don't worry about all those other things. I used to be a lot more concerned about finances. When I had my own business or when I was on straight commission, I was crunching the numbers and thinking a lot about making money.

Thankfully, I'm glad that I haven't really had to worry about that for quite a while now. I came into the full-time ministry in 1989, and I was making more money, a lot more, before I came into the full-time ministry. But I haven't worried about physical things God has provided. He's given us more than we needed, really. We've had many luxuries, and we've been extremely blessed by God.

And I know you have as well. So it's much better to be focused spiritually than it is to be focused physically. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and know that all these things will be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.

Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. In other words, put your faith in God and trust that He will see you through another day. He will take care of you. He will provide for you. And if He allows you to die, then you'll be resurrected. And you'll be in His kingdom. And if you're faithful and true to the end, you'll be in His kingdom forever.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

So how do you seek first God's kingdom? Well, we're going to talk about that the rest of the sermon. God expects you to prioritize your time and give Him first place in it.

Time is life, right? Our life is our time. How do we use our time? Understand that from God's perspective, it is very important how you spend your time. God has given certain laws and commandments that He expects us to keep. How we respond to these laws greatly affects how we spend our time. If we keep them carefully, we are spending our time in a particular way. If we ignore His laws and break them, we're spending our time in yet another way. God's laws should govern how we spend our time. Think about that. God's laws should govern how we spend our time. You are now being judged to a large degree on how you spend your time. You will be rewarded or punished in large measure as to how you spend your time. In Ephesians 5, it tells us very clearly that we need to redeem the time. In other words, we should use our time effectively and wisely in a godly manner. Ephesians 5, verse 8. Ephesians 5, verse 8. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, because God called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. So walk as children of light. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, finding out what is acceptable to the Lord, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. It takes time to walk in darkness. It takes time to do that. He says, have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them, for it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. The light reveals to us. Therefore, he says, awake you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light. Verse 15, see then that you walk circumspectly. Okay, in my margin it says, walk carefully. See that you walk carefully, circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time. We are called to redeem the time because the days are evil, and we could get caught up in evil ourselves. We could follow after evil because it's rampant around us. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not be drunk with wine. You know, that takes time. It takes time to sit around and get drunk. Right? That takes time. It takes time to go out and commit adultery. It takes time to break God's law. God doesn't want us to use our time that way. He wants us to use our time keeping his laws, not breaking them, and wasting a bunch of time doing nothing of value. Is that sin?

Is that a sinful act? Not to use your time wisely? Not to redeem the time?

Do not be unwise. Understand what the will of the Lord is. What is God's will for you?

Be filled with the Spirit, he says, speaking to one another in psalms. See, that's a good use of your time. Coming to services, praising God, worshiping God, and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. That's a good use of your time.

Singing songs at home, praising God, that's a good use of your time. God's happy with that.

That's not a selfish pursuit. That is a giving, unselfish pursuit because you're praising God, not yourself. You're not just indulging the self. You're doing something constructive. Giving thanks always for all things to God, the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. We're all told to submit to one another. Husbands and wives should submit to one another in the fear of God, keeping God's commandments and laws. You've heard me say that, when should a man submit to his wife? When she's right! When she's right and you're wrong, then you should submit to your wife. There are times when the wife is right and she understands some things better than you might at times. And so that's the time to submit, is when she's talking more sense than you are, you know, when it's the right thing to do. But that all takes time. How we use our time is important. We are to redeem the time and use it wisely. It's been said that few things are more dangerous to a person's character than having nothing to do and plenty of time in which to do it. Having nothing to do and plenty of time in which to do it. So I don't know if that happens at retirement or... I don't think that ever happens, right? We always have... there should always be something good for us to do. There are always good things for us to use our time in doing.

Another thing, it's also been said, few things are more dangerous to a person's character than having plenty to do and not doing it. That's probably more like it. We have plenty to do and we don't get around to doing it. Now, let's go to Colossians 4. Again, the Apostle Paul tells us to walk in wisdom. He's the one that told us to redeem the time, so he says the same thing in Colossians only a little differently. Colossians 4, verse 2.

Colossians 4, verse 2. Continue earnestly in prayer. Again, we'll get to more of this, but that's the use of your time, isn't it? Prayer. Continue earnestly in prayer, giving... I'm sorry, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving, being vigilant prayers. Meanwhile, praying also for us. Paul says, pray for the ministry, pray for us, that God would open to us a door for the Word to speak the mystery of Christ for which I am also in chains. He was imprisoned, that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak. Verse 5. Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. How we interact with people who aren't in God's church... I mean, obviously, that takes time, so we should use our time carefully with others. We should strive to point them toward God if they're receptive, to lead them in the right path. Let your speech always be with grace and seasoned with salt. So how you interact with other people, the language that you use with others who aren't in God's church, is important. You are setting an example for them. Seize with salt that you may know how you ought to answer each one. So God wants us to get to know those people that we come in contact with so that we can impact them in a positive way. You know, God may be calling them. He could be. He may choose to, even if he sees that you're making a connection with someone. Who knows?

So God expects us to prioritize our time and give him first place in it. He expects us to redeem our time wisely. God expects us to have goals, to set goals. I remember when I was a young lad, a teenager, I was plowing a field once. Plowing a field with a tractor and a plow. And I was told always look ahead and have a goal that you go toward so that you can plow a straight line, basically, so you can plow a decent field. Because if you're just not paying attention and you don't have a goal that you're looking for, I mean, you're going to be going back and forth like this out in the field. So you have to have your mind set on a goal ahead of you, something that you can see that's tangible to some degree that you can look toward. So I'm going to give you some tangible things to do in regard to setting goals.

So what are some examples of spiritual goals? You can set other goals, but I'm going to give you a bunch today. In fact, I'm going to give you 12. 12 goals. I will go rather quickly through them, because I will end on time, in fact, a little before time.

But we're going to go rather quickly through these goals. Set a spiritual goal of doing everything you do in a whole-hearted manner. Stop being so wishy-washy in your life. Just have a little more energy in what you do. Set a spiritual goal of doing everything that you do in a whole-hearted manner. Now, that may be to get a good night's sleep, so that you can do other things, because you'll have the energy. So getting a good night's sleep is very important. So do what you can do to get a good night's sleep, so you can do everything in a whole-hearted manner. You may have to take a nap in a whole-hearted way, so that you can do other things in a whole-hearted way. We must make countless decisions throughout our day. How we're going to spend our time. You know, we're making decisions constantly on what we're going to do with our time, how we're going to spend it. Each decision or plan should be carried out in a whole-hearted manner. Not that we get all uptight about it. That's not what I'm saying. But Ecclesiastes 9 verse 10 does say, whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might. So whatever your hand finds to do, in other words, whatever your goals are, do them with your might. So the first one is do everything in a whole-hearted manner. Make sure that's a goal for you, so you don't just let life pass you by. In 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 verse 10, here it says, For even when we were with you, we commanded you this, if anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. I mean, that's biblical.

You know, if you're lazy, then you don't really deserve a decent meal, because you're not applying yourself. So we should have some industry as God's people. We should be whole-hearted in what we do. I'm sure you've heard the expression, Have you ever wondered why time flies? Haven't you noticed how many people are out to kill it? There's a lot of people out to kill time. You've heard that. I'm just killing time. We need to remember that killing time is not murder, it's suicide.

Killing time is suicide. We shouldn't try to kill our time. Try to use our time wisely and effectively.

In Colossians chapter 3 verses 23 and 24, Paul says, And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not to men. We shouldn't care so much what men think. As long as we're doing what God tells us to do, then we're pleasing Him and we're doing His will. Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ. We serve Jesus Christ. We don't serve men.

For He who does wrong will be repaid for the wrong which He has done, and there is no partiality. So, God rewards us according to our works. He rewards us according to our good works or our not so good works. So, it is important, again, to redeem our time.

So, we should analyze ourselves on a regular basis as we go through the day. How wholehearted have I been today? How wholehearted? Have I just wasted time at work? Or am I really giving a good day's work? Am I doing that which would be pleasing to my employer?

Am I really being a good worker? And am I also pleasing God in the way I spend my day and my time?

So, the first goal is, whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly. Secondly, set a spiritual goal of improving the quality and quantity of good works that you've done in the past. In other words, do better this year than you did last year.

Do better. Set a spiritual goal of improving the quality and quantity of good works that you've done in the past. In Ephesians 2, verse 10, it tells us what our purpose is.

For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works. The Bible says that you were created for good works. God wants you to do something with your life. He wants you to do good works. So, what are good works? Well, certainly keeping the commandments are good works.

When we keep God's commandments, we're doing good. If we have no other gods before the true God and we put Him first in our life, we're doing a good work. If we never bow down before idols, and we're faithful to that commandment, and we serve God only, then that's certainly a good thing. It's a good work. If we don't take God's name in vain, that's a good work. If we're careful how we use our tongue and what we say, that's a good work. If we remember God's Sabbath day, and we keep it holy, that's a good work. If we honor our parents, those are good works. All of these are good works. If we love one another, if we don't murder, if we don't kill people in our hearts, the Bible says if you harbor hatred or resentment, you've killed that person in your heart. It's a good work to learn to love each other, and certainly not to commit adultery in any way, either physically or mentally, but to focus your mind and do that which is right. Those things are good works. Keeping God's commandments are good works. Not lying, not stealing. Those are good things, and so we should use our time that way, not coveting what belongs to other people. That all takes time. If you meditate on coveting things that belong to others, that's time you've just wasted that you could spend in a different way. So those are all good works, and pure and undefiled religion is to visit the widow and the fatherless. So how much have you been doing that?

Have you been out visiting the widows and the fatherless?

Those are good works. It takes time to do that, but those are good things. So ask yourself, how can I be more involved in serving others? How can I be more involved? Can I be more involved? Can I do some things? If you didn't do anything last year, if you didn't visit a single widow, if you just visit one this year, you're improving. Maybe not enough, maybe not enough, but you're improving, right? So, you know, work it in. Set a goal. Visit someone.

How about sending out more cards to the sick? Some of you are probably really good about that. You spend quite a bit of time sending cards to people to encourage people. Some of you don't do anything. So, if you haven't been doing anything, if you just send five cards out this year, you've done something that you didn't do last year. You're moving in the right direction.

So set a goal to send out some cards to people who are who are ill. And, you know, it helps to be organized. That really does help. You know, I used to kind of not really give being organized as much credit as I should have, because I kind of thought, well, that's, you know, that's... I mean, you don't have to be that organized.

It's like, you know, that's... I don't know. It just seemed like I'm getting more organized the older I get, I guess, because I realize the importance of it more. I'm kind of a laid-back guy anyway. You know, I don't want to... You know, some personalities are like so driven that it almost... You know, it's like, I don't want to be that way. I don't want to be that... I want to have a little more balance in my life. So there is a balance that we should strive to have in our lives. Even when I say whatever we do, do it wholeheartedly. I think there's a balance because you can burn yourself out if you're not careful. So I'm not saying burn yourself out. I'm saying find adequate time to rest, adequate time to have hobbies, you know, adequate time to do other things that will keep you able to function over the course of a lifetime, a godly balance.

So the second principle or the second goal is have a spiritual goal of improving your good works. Do a better job next year of doing good works. That's why you were created to do good works. Number three, set a spiritual goal of doing more to preach the gospel to the world. I mean, just even as a lay member, there are certain things that you might be able to do to help preach the gospel to the world. That is, if someone you come in contact with has questions, you know, the scripture is very clear about being able to give an answer to people. So if you've diligently studied, then you should be able to give an answer to someone, and you will be preaching the gospel, in a sense, to the world. Because if we're scattered around the world, God's people are, and if we all do a little bit more in answering questions and helping people understand the truth, then we've done something in regard to helping preach the gospel to the world. That's a commission for all of us. Yes, beyond today, and those efforts are good efforts to get on TV or to be on radio and to preach the gospel in that way, but every single one of us also preaches the gospel by our example, by the life that we live, and being able to answer questions of people who are genuinely interested in knowing more. So, Matthew 28, 19, and 20 says, Go, you therefore, into all the world. So God has churches all around the world. He has churches in different countries. He has churches in India, a feast of tabernacles in India, in many, many countries throughout the world, Malaysia and different places. So we are to be His disciples, and we're all His disciples. So get involved in local initiatives, continually pray for the success of our efforts around the world.

It's imperative that we plan to do something in that regard. Do it better next year.

Prepare yourself. Have a spiritual goal of doing more to help preach the gospel. Maybe you can send in more money to help preach the gospel. That might be a goal to increase your donations. Whatever you want to do along that line, but also whatever you can do personally to help preach the gospel to the world. Number four, set a spiritual goal of improving your prayer life.

I've already read that God expects us to pray, and I could go to a lot of scriptures and we've given sermons many times on the power of prayer and the importance of prayer.

But set a spiritual goal of improving your prayer life. Again, it doesn't make sense to watch TV for three or four hours a day and take five minutes to pray. I mean, does that make sense?

I mean, that's way out of kilter, isn't it? To spend three hours watching TV in five minutes to pray?

You might want to keep a prayer notebook so you can remember who to pray for. Make lists of people who have asked for prayers. So you'll remember Genevieve Lucas. So you'll remember to pray for her this week. And other people who are sick and afflicted and hurting set a spiritual goal of improving your prayer life. So get organized when it comes to a prayer notebook or just have the announcements. You know, we send out prayer requests here locally every week from the United Church of God. John LaBissonnier sends that out every week. We send that out to all of you. Have a stack of them and go through it, whatever it takes. But remember to pray and remember to pray for each other. Because when you're not doing that, you're not redeeming your time. You're just not redeeming your time wisely. Because when people ask you for your prayers, that's what they want. That's what they desire. And God wants you to be praying for these people. That's love. It's showing that you care enough to take the time to pray for them. And you can come up with all kinds of excuses why you don't do it, but none of them hold any water. None of them stand up. It's just a reality that we should all be praying and remembering to pray for one another. So set a spiritual goal of improving your prayer life.

Number five. Set a spiritual goal of being more faithful and diligent in studying God's Word.

Can you do better this year than you did last year? Maybe you can. Maybe you can be more faithful. Maybe you can establish better habits of studying the Bible.

It's important to have some goals like, okay, I want to study the book of Romans this year, maybe, and go into it in depth. Or maybe I want to study all of the New Testament this year and do it in a greater depth than I've ever done before. Some people have goals of reading the Bible through once a year, twice a year, three times a year. I talked to a guy recently that every year he has a goal of reading the Bible through three times in a year. So he has it broken down. He reads three times more per day than the person who only goes through it once a year.

You know, he has that goal. He wants to go through it three times a year.

So what about you? What are your goals when it comes to studying the Bible? Do you have any goals? Have you gone through and taken notes on every book of the Bible?

Do you have a stack of notebooks this high because you went through and took notes?

You spent 30 minutes a day. You know, it's amazing how much you can accomplish with just 30 minutes a day in the Bible, studying the Bible.

Do you have a set time when you study the Bible each day?

If you don't, it's likely that you're probably not doing a very good job of studying the Bible because you have poor habits. And poor habits usually lead to nothing.

Good habits lead to accomplishing something. So if you know that you're going to study the Bible at 6 30 in the morning till 7 every morning, then you already made that decision.

Then it's easy. You just do it. You made that goal. It's something that you decided to do.

So I would encourage you to have some of these goals if you're not doing these things, then just make a goal to start doing it. And be as specific. At the Feast in Lake Texoma, Joshua Creech gave a sermon that he entitled, The Smart Way of Setting Goals. And I'm not going to go through all that, but if you want to listen to that sermon, it's about having specific goals and a number of other principles to use in doing this very thing of setting goals. A sixth goal that you might have is to have a spiritual goal of fasting more regularly next year. Between now and next Feast, if you fasted five times this past year, then maybe you should go for six every other month. Or maybe once a month or whatever you decide. You get to decide. You're told to fast once a year, for sure. That's on the Day of Atonement. But also, Christ indicated that there would be other times that his disciples would pray.

Because, you know, he said, when I'm taken away, in other words, when I'm crucified, resurrected, and go back to the Father, or go to the Father, or go back to the Father, because he was there initially with the Father, then my disciples will fast.

So the indication is, God does expect us to fast more than on the Day of Atonement. More times throughout the year. So maybe you get your calendar out and say, I'm going to fast every third Sunday of the month. And you have that goal. And so, it's on the calendar, and you're going up to it, and you do it. But if you don't have a goal, you won't do it.

So you get to set the goal and decide how often you're going to fast between now and next feast.

A seventh principle. Set a spiritual goal of being more hospitable.

If you didn't have anyone over to your home last year, if you only have one family over this year, you're improving.

Or maybe you want to set a spiritual goal of having someone over once a month. Having someone over. You get to decide. It's your goals. So set a spiritual goal of being more hospitable. We know there's plenty of scriptures that talk about being hospitable. Having people over, entertaining people. Look, you're going to get to know what you're going to do. You're going to get to know each other a lot better if you have people in your own homes. One of the things that we talked about this year in Lake Texoma is the importance of having more than just superficial relationships. Many people just have very superficial relationships. We see each other at church. If you're here every Sabbath, we see you for five or ten minutes because that's much one-on-one contact, as many of us have. That's all we have throughout the year. And congregation this size, there's no way to get around to everyone every Sabbath unless you're only spending 30 seconds or a minute with everyone. So maybe if you have some people over your home and you set a goal to do that a couple times a year, which is more than you did last year, perhaps, maybe some of you are really great about being hospitable and inviting people over to your home. That's great. That's a good example, and that's wonderful. But for some of us, we could do better. And I know life gets hectic, and the busier you are, the more difficult it is to find the time to do these things. And we don't want to kill ourselves either, because you can kill yourself, I think, trying to do too much. On the other hand, if you set the goals, then maybe you'll spend your time more wisely. Instead of watching 10 hours of TV, maybe you can go prepare to have someone over your home. But again, redeem the time. Use the time more effectively and more wisely.

Also, when you have people over to your home, it spurs you to clean and organize your home.

Because most people are vain, and they don't want to have people over to their home if it's not tidied up. Which, you know, we should all have tidy homes. We're God's people. We should set an example in that way. So, having people over... I know I do better when we're having people over. I'll go out, and I'll pull some weeds out of the flower garden. I'll straighten up my office. I will do certain things, because I know we're having people over, and I'm vain enough that I don't want to look like I'm a slob. And that's a good thing to get better organized and to stay on top of things. It all works together for good. If you learn to do these biblical principles, set these goals and follow through on them. So, let's be more hospitable. Some of you set a very good example in that way. Some of us could do better. And again, just a little bit more is an improvement.

An eight-spiritual goal. Set a spiritual goal of becoming friends with more of your brothers and sisters in Christ. So, if you don't know everyone in this room who attend here regularly, then you could set a goal of getting to know these people. Who is that guy over there? I see him, but I don't even know his name. I've got a directory, but I don't even know his name.

We could probably, some of us could do better, right? Set a goal to get to know everyone in the congregation. Get to know everybody.

Number nine, set a spiritual goal of teaching your children about God's way. If you have children, then Deuteronomy 6 is something that you should be putting into practice.

Deuteronomy 6, verse 6.

And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. And if they're in your heart, then you will do them.

You shall teach them diligently to your children. We're talking about God's truth, God's way. Teach God's way diligently to your children, and shall talk to them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. So throughout the day, throughout your life, we're going to be teaching our children.

Speaking of these laws, you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes, something that you're focused on.

These, as I mentioned before, God's commandments we should be focused upon. And if we're spending our time focusing on these commandments, then we're redeeming the time wisely.

So set a spiritual goal of teaching your children, and set a spiritual goal of getting to know the children in this room. Be friends to the children that are in this room. Be supportive. Be encouraging. Guide them, perhaps, as they need some guidance. Get involved in a godly way to get to know the children that are amongst us. Help them feel like they're really part of a big family, God's family, a spiritual family. The best thing parents can spend on their children is time. It's not money. We know that. It's our time. Quality and quantity time. Quality and quantity time is what all parents should be spending on their children. Quality and quantity time.

Number 10. Another goal. Set a spiritual goal of learning to give an answer for why you believe what you do. I talked a little bit about that when it comes to preaching the gospel. There are a number of ways we can get involved in helping preach the gospel, some more actively than others. But set a spiritual goal of learning to give an answer. So that's where a lot of the Bible study comes in. Maybe you want to go through the doctrines so that if someone asks you, well, why do you keep the Sabbath? Then you can turn to the various scriptures.

You should probably be able to go to 10 different scriptures right off your head without any reference. Just grab the Bible and take them right there. Exodus 20. Remember the Sabbath day. Keep it holy. Isaiah 58, verses 13 and 14. The Sabbath is to be a delight. Isaiah 66, the Sabbath is going to be kept in the millennium. It was Christ's habit or his practice to keep the Sabbath. Luke 4, verse 16, I think. These are things that you should be able to just come up with. If you're a diligent student of the Bible and you're thinking about how you can help others, rather than say, well, I've got this booklet somewhere. Maybe next week I can bring it and give it to you rather than do that. Say, well, do you have a Bible handy? And then just walk them through. Why don't we keep, you know, why don't we eat clean and unclean foods? You know, and go to some scriptures, explain and tell them why. So be ready to give an answer of whatever it is people ask of you. 1 Peter 3, verse 15, be ready to give an answer or a defense. Be ready implies preparation. You can't be ready unless you've prepared to be ready.

So set a goal and maybe have the 20 fundamental beliefs. Set a goal of being able to explain those 20 fundamental beliefs. The key scriptures, maybe five key scriptures on every one of those beliefs that we have. See, that'll keep you busy. That'll keep you out of trouble.

Okay, if you're busy doing what is right and good, then you don't have time to do evil.

2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 15, it says, be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. In other words, someone who can discern what the scripture says about any given topic because they know what the Bible says. Hear a little, they're a little. What does the Bible say throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, on any given subject? So have a spiritual goal of being able to give an answer on those 20 fundamental beliefs. That'll keep you busy for a while. That'll give you something to do spiritually. So why not make that a goal?

11. Set a spiritual goal of producing more fruit of God's Spirit this year.

Set a spiritual goal of producing more of God's fruit, more of the fruits of His Spirit. We know what they are. Galatians chapter 5, verse 22, we go through it continually. Love and joy and peace and long suffering, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, meekness, self-control. These are the fruit of God's Holy Spirit. But those things don't just happen. You need to have a spiritual goal of producing those fruit so that you'll catch yourself when you're not being very loving, or when you're not being very joyful, or when you're not being patient, or you're not being kind, or you're not being faithful or gentle. So if you have a goal to do better, to become more active in producing these fruits of God's Holy Spirit, more self-control, more humble. You know, if you realize that you're being arrogant, then stop being arrogant. Instead, say, hey, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that, or, you know, I was wrong.

And being more self-controlled next year, set a spiritual goal. I'm going to become more self-controlled next year. I'm going to bridle my tongue a lot more this coming year. I have a spiritual goal to do that. I'm going to be more kind to my wife this year. I'm going to be more kind to my husband this year. Many, many spiritual goals. A spiritual goal of producing more of the fruit of God's Spirit. Think about it. What do you want to do better next year?

What kind of a person do you want to become? And number 12. Set a spiritual goal of allowing time for meditation and relaxation. So, have some time to meditate and to relax.

So, meditation is simply, God says, whatsoever is good, whatsoever is pure, whatsoever is lovely. Philippians 2, verse 8, think on these things. Meditate on these things. If it's right and good and beautiful and lovely, then find some time to meditate on those things. Find some quiet time. Have a quiet place that you can go. Certainly, when you pray, you need a quiet place where you can pray, but just to go meditate somewhere.

Sometimes, I just like to get in... I've got a lawn chair out under the trees in my backyard. And just meditating for 10 minutes and just trying to think about those things that are right and good, what I might be able to do to help someone that day. Each spiritual goal that you set is like a rung of a ladder. You're climbing this ladder and each spiritual goal is like the rung of a ladder. As you strive to accomplish that goal, you're moving toward the overall goal of seeking first God's kingdom and His righteousness. And God's Holy Days do help us stay on target, don't they? Next spring, we'll keep the Passover again. And we'll talk about the importance of repenting of our sins and putting sin out of our lives. And the importance that helps us stay spiritually focused. And then, Pentecost, we're to be first fruits. We're called out of the world. We're to be different. We're called and chosen. We're a part of God's church now. And judgment has begun at the house of God. Judgment is upon us. And of course, Christ is coming back. Christ is returning. The Feast of Trumpets pictures His return. The Day of Atonement pictures a time when Satan will be bound, but right now He's not bound. So we have to resist Satan. Scripture tells us, resist Satan and He will flee from us. When we have spiritual goals, that goes a long way. And we're going to be able to resist Satan. Again, we don't have idle minds. We're focused. We have spiritual goals.

In Philippians chapter 3, Paul said, I press toward a certain goal. Let's go to that. Philippians chapter 3. Certainly, God wants us to have goals. God is very goal-oriented Himself. He has a kingdom that He's establishing and working towards. That is a spiritual goal that God has to establish His kingdom. And He tells us how He's going to do it. Now, in Philippians chapter 3, Philippians 3 verse 12, let's read this together. Philippians chapter 3 verse 12. Not that I have already attained, Paul said, I haven't yet attained, or am already perfected. But he knows that that's his goal, to become perfect, even as Christ is perfect. He says, not that I've already attained, or am already perfected, but I press on. That's what we all must do. But I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ has also laid hold of me. Christ has laid hold of you, and He's laid hold of me. He's called us now at this time. Again, God's plan of salvation pictures the firstfruits. He's called out now. He says, brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do. He says, I haven't arrived yet. None of us have yet arrived. All of us have to stay on the right track, moving in the right direction. I don't count myself to have apprehended. My margin says, verse 13, I haven't laid hold of it yet. I haven't gotten it yet. I'm not there yet. It's basically what He's saying. But one thing I do for getting those things which are behind, because it doesn't do good to dwell on what we haven't done. I mean, you shouldn't leave here all depressed, because you didn't have any spiritual goals last year. You shouldn't leave here depressed that you didn't have many goals last year. You should leave encouraged that now you have better focus. And you will be able to accomplish more next year, because now you're going to be better focused. So, for getting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. We've talked a lot about things that we can do this upcoming year. He says, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, let us, as many as are mature, as spiritually mature or moving toward perfection, have this mind, the mind of Christ. And if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. So, wherever you're falling short, God will reveal that to you. He'll show you the way to go.

He says, nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. So, whatever we're doing right, let's keep doing it right properly. But let's add to that so that we may truly be overcomers. In verse 16, it says, no, I already read that. So, let us be of the same mind and press toward that goal. And then 2 Timothy chapter 4 in conclusion. 2 Timothy chapter 4.

2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 7. Paul says, I have fought the good fight. Paul knows that he's just about done for. He's got a lot of people that are out to killing, and he probably realizes that God's not going to continue to allow him to live a whole lot longer. He says, I fought the good fight. I finished the race. I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge will give to me on that day, on the day of his son's return. When he sends Jesus Christ back here, that's when Paul will be resurrected to eternal life. And not to me only, but also to all who have loved his appearing. So, that includes all of us. And we look forward to the return of Christ. We talk about it. We look forward to it. We can't wait. We're enthusiastic about it. We're hopeful. So, we're all waiting for Christ's return. It says, a crown of righteousness is laid up for us. So, no matter how much we've fallen short, we can still know that God has a crown of righteousness for us, if we will continue to fight the good fight. So, no matter how you did last year, there's always this year. So, make some goals, set some spiritual goals, keep moving toward that mark. You're still here. You haven't fallen away. That's a good thing. So, I hope you found today's sermon encouraging. I hope it will motivate you to make those spiritual goals that will help you stay on target a lot better throughout this coming year. Christ said, he must be about doing his Father's business. Christ was only 12 years old, and he realized he needed to go about doing his Father's business. Having spiritual goals will certainly help all of us to do just that. When we have spiritual goals and are striving to reach them, we will undoubtedly be pleasing to God. God looks on the heart, right? So, if you have a heart that's focused on spiritual goals and achieving those goals and striving to become better, then that's pleasing to God. Now, we've all had a wonderful feast. We've come back from the feast. Let's now press on and continue to strive for God's kingdom to make sure it all comes to pass, that it all comes to fruition. That's what this feast pictures that we've just observed. It pictures God's kingdom. It pictures becoming changed into spirit, becoming as God is, no longer subject to the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, no longer subject to the carnality that so easily besets us, a sin that's easily besets us, that will be no more. A time when we're like God. So, let's now, let's all press on. Let's seek to become righteous as God is righteous, and let's move continually toward His kingdom.