Spiritual Targets: Growing in Christ

Remember the games where we tried to place a game piece on a target after we had been blindfolded and spun around a few times? We knew what we wanted to achieve, and we knew what the target looked like. We were also very willing to do our best, but the fact remains that we have difficulty hitting a target we cannot see. It's even more difficult to hit a target we do not have!

As Christians, each of us has the goal of becoming more Christ-like, as is stated in Philippians 3:12-14. "Not that I have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." We know that our ultimate goal is, but how do we get there? Do we have a plan of action toward spiritual growth?

As Zig Ziglar, a Christian, motivational speaker says, most people spend more time planning their vacations than they spend planning their career, and most people spend more time planning their wedding than they spend cultivating a successful marriage! How much time do we spend setting goals and taking plans of action in our Christian lives? Perhaps if we aren't growing much, it's because we have no specific, measurable goals.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:24-26 that the Christian life compares to a race, and if we want to cross the finish line victoriously, we must do more than just put forth effort. We must "run in such a way, as not without aim."