Do You Have a Lofty Goal, or a Low Down Dirty Goal

Mike Hosey, An Elder

The Bible has a lot to say about goals.  Proverbs 21:5 tells us that diligent people plan out goals that lead to abundance, and that hasty people who don’t make plans end up in poverty.  Consider, also, that Proverbs 6:6-11 portrays the ant as wise because she diligently tends to goals and duties in their proper season.

These truths mesh well with 21^st Century America which also has a lot to say about goals.  In America, we are told to complete a college degree, or to ascend the career ladder, or to amass money, or to be famous, or to do any number of things that improve ourselves.  Certainly, there is nothing inherently wrong with these kinds of goals.   Well, nothing wrong with them until we consider what they might mean in light of serving God. 

We spend a great deal of energy shooting for these lofty goals. But we often do it at the expense of the loftier goal of serving God. 

If we are pursuing these lofty goals like a college degree, or climbing the career ladder, at the expense of God, and certainly if we are pursuing them without considering how we will serve God once we’ve achieved those goals, then those goals cease to be lofty.  In fact, they become the opposite of lofty. They become lowdown and dirty.  

Paul understood this very well.  He understood it so well, in fact, that his whole life after salvation was dedicated to pursuing God.  In Philippians 3:7-14, he tells us that he wants to become like Jesus, sharing in His sufferings, and even in His death. He famously tells us in verses 13 and 14 that he forgets everything behind him and presses onward to the prize of the upward call of God in Jesus Christ. 

There is no loftier goal than attaining the upward call of God. So ask yourself if the goals you are striving for today move you closer to that upward call, or if you are just striving for a low down dirty goal.