I do it all for the sake of the gospel that I may share with them in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race, all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So, I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified. 1 Cor. 9:23-27.
I find stepping into the New Year intriguing. When I was growing up, there was a decisive and intentional effort to set new goals and priorities for our lives. We set personal goals, health goals, professional goals, relationship goals, and spiritual goals. We knew getting into the status quo or getting stuck in our routines was too easy. The primary motivation to grow was to set “New Year resolutions” to get a jump on meaningful change.
Things have shifted dramatically these days. Most people I know do not set goals for any part of their lives; they “keep making adjustments,” so to speak. This idea is “deconstructing” the New Year’s Resolution trap. People consistently set goals in every area of their lives, but it all disintegrated about two to three weeks into the year. Great intentions were dismantled by the busyness of life and a huge lack of discipline.
We are great at setting meaningful goals and priorities to see relevant changes in our lives and grow and develop, but we are terrible at following through with them. After a while, we failed so often to achieve any of these goals that we gave up. Consequently, we decided that setting goals was bad, so we stopped. I certainly know the spiritual argument on this – we should always be making changes as the Lord speaks to us, not just at the beginning of a new calendar year. I agree, but it is not a good spiritual principle to not set goals because we have simply become hearers of the Word and not doers of it.
Paul set goals. His goal was to do all things for the sake of the gospel. It sounds like a great tagline, but Paul was ferociously committed to that goal. He focused his life like a marathon runner. It takes training, discipline, and focus. In verses 16-17, he stated that he had no choice. If he did this willingly, he would be rewarded. If against his will, he had stewardship. Either way, his life had a divine focus, an unshakable goal to live life for the sake of the gospel.
It might be valuable to note Paul’s last statement, “I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified” (v. 27). One of the reasons Paul had this goal in front of him was the danger of being disqualified. There is much speculation about what this statement means, but I will offer this: Paul did not want to disqualify himself from his reward for preaching the gospel.
Whether you set goals or do not set goals, something has to drive and motivate your life. I hope that in 2025, I can say with Paul that I will do all things for the sake of the gospel. Hopefully, that is not just a “good intention” that crashes and drops off the calendar. If that means I need to set a goal to discipline myself to reach that goal, great! If that means I willingly do everything for the gospel’s sake, fantastic!
Whatever you do (or don’t do) as you enter 2025, I hope you will be compelled like Paul. If you engage in the mission of the gospel willingly, you will receive a reward; if you do it against your will, you have a stewardship. Either way, I hope you experience the power of His grace to compel you into the mission; if that means setting goals to compel you forward, great! If that means you simply make adjustments, great! Just don’t get stuck doing nothing.
Have a fantastic year!
Pastor Brad.
