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What Kind of Goal Does God Bless?
By Rick Warren

“When you eat or drink or do anything else, always do it to honor God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31 CEV)

Not every goal that you can set is a good goal and one that God’s going to bless.

So how do you know the kind of goal that God will bless? Ask yourself these questions:

“Will my goal honor God?”

What kind of goal brings glory to God? Any goal that causes you to trust him more, to depend on him more, to love him more, to love other people more, to serve God, to serve others, to be more unselfish.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “When you eat or drink or do anything else, always do it to honor God” (CEV). Everything can be done to honor God. You can take out the garbage to honor God. You can wash dishes to honor God. You can study for a test to honor God. How? By doing it with the right motive: gratitude. You want your life to bring honor to God, so your goals should help you be the best you can be for God’s glory.

“Is my goal motivated by love?”

God is not going to bless a goal motivated by greed, envy, guilt, fear, or pride. But he does honor your goal that is motivated by a desire to demonstrate love to him and to others, because life is all about learning how to love.

Why is it important for you to have goals that are based on love? Because if you set loveless goals, you’re going to treat people as projects. You’re going to run all over them to get to your goal. You’re going to run over your marriage, your friends, and other people as you climb up the ladder of success. God says, “No. You’ve got it all wrong. It’s not about accomplishments. It’s about relationships. It’s about learning how to love.”

“Do everything in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14 NIV). The number one goal in your life should be to learn to really love — your family, neighbors, unlovely people, and those who are hard to love. That makes you more like God, because God is love.

Talk It Over

What goals have you set for yourself for the next year? How do they hold up under these two questions?

How does your attitude toward the menial tasks of your day change when you consider that everything can be done to honor God?

How do the small moments of your life contribute to the bigger picture of your goals to achieve God’s purpose for your life?