Set Your Goal to Know Christ....and Reach Joy!

               Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Set a goal to find joy in the Lord each and every day!

                Setting goals is a good thing….most of the time.  We can, however, set unrealistic goals and become discouraged.  The key is to set goals based on God’s leading and His wisdom.  It would be unwise for me to set a goal to become the next Olympic gold medalist...in ANY event!  I have not prepared, I’m too old, & I’m not athletically inclined in the least! God would not tell me to set my sights on Rio in August!  But He will place in my heart other types of goals that, with His help, I can reach and are in His plan and purpose for me! And the same goes for you!

                Charles Stanley writes that “Prior to his conversion, Paul was focused on the destruction of Christian believers. His goals were of his own creation and were not of God.  After his conversion, Paul was focused on a new set of goals—goals that were in keeping with God’s desires for his life.”

                Just as with Paul, God is willing and able to put goals in your heart & mine….and to equip us to reach those goals. But we must not miss this important truth: “Paul’s foremost goals were knowing Christ in His fullness and experiencing everything he could of Christ.”  (Charles Stanley) These should, also, be our goals. Are they? 

                When we set our goals to “know Christ more fully”, we can be assured of abundant JOY in Him.