This is repost from last year. We won’t be posting the monthly spiritual goals again this year, but you can find them in the menu under “Spiritual Goals.”
As the curtain on 2018’s stage begins to close, thoughts turn to the next year and the possibilities of what it may bring. There are many signs that our Lord’s return is imminent. Are we prepared to see his face?
Whether Christ’s return is tomorrow or beyond the next year, now is the time to stop and take stock of our spiritual purpose and how active we are in pursuing it with our whole heart. It’s worth taking the time to examine ourselves, to look at our reflection through God’s mirror, and to move forward. We must not forget what “manner” of person we are, but intentionally and consciously seek godly transformation.
God willing, we’re hoping to explore this journey through journaling in three parts before the New Year:
- Be conformed to the image of His Son – Your Personal Mission and Purpose
- Like a man observing his natural face in a mirror – Your Reflections
- Reaching for the goal of the prize of God’s high calling – Creating your Intentional Spiritual Roadmap
Throughout the next year, God willing, we will post encouragement and journaling templates on one specific goal each month. We plan to share more about this in “Creating your Intentional Spiritual Roadmap.”
Your Personal Mission and Purpose.
Before we can begin to step back and assess our big picture mission by asking ourselves questions like “What is my mission?” “For what purpose am I here?” “What have I been created for?” we must step back yet even further. Because before we were created, God had a plan. God has His own big picture mission and purpose.
God states His purpose: As truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with my glory. Numbers 14:21.
God’s big picture plan is so much a part of His identity that He declares it as HIS NAME – “I WILL BE manifested in mighty ones.” Who are these “mighty ones” reflecting God’s own glory throughout the earth? God’s mission is to be manifest through you. Now… what is your mission?
When Jesus was asked whether it was lawful to give tribute to Caesar or no, he responded: “Whose image and superscription is this?” To which they responded: “Caesar’s.” “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,” Christ said, “and to God, the things that are God’s.” We are in God’s image and to God we belong. There is no greater purpose, there is no higher mission than to render yourself as His.
Your personal mission is to make God’s purpose your own –
To be filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19).
To be built together for an habitation of God through the spirit (Eph. 2:22).
To be conformed to the image of his Son (Rom. 8:29).
This template can be printed and used for the beginning of your 2019 Spiritual Goals Journal.
A Mission for this Season.
Although the ultimate purpose for all who are His is the same, how this mission plays out in each individual disciple’s life will necessarily vary. A master gives glory to God by acting justly, a servant by obeying heartily. A wife submits, a husband loves. A child obeys, a father does not provoke.
One person reflects the fullness of God differently even within her own various roles. How she gives glory to God through her role as a wife will require her to seek the development of different attributes than her role as a mother, or as a friend, or as a daughter. Even within one role, the outworking of the mission can vary from season to season – a mother of a young child will have a focus on particular characteristics that may be vastly different than a mother to a child approaching adulthood. Writing down your mission or vision for each of your roles in this particular season of your life will help to give clarity to your priorities, motivation to your tasks, and meaning to the mundane.
Using this (or in your own journal), take a moment to pause and write a list of all the godly characteristics that you strive to live through each of your roles. List all the main attributes that you see as important whether they are currently flourishing or whether they need to be “tended to.” Print one page per role, since the characteristic list for each role will have some differences. You can re-visit this list and add to it, or modify it later as you reflect on your experiences over time.
This exercise can also be done as a family!
Next week: “Like a man observing his natural face in a mirror – Your Reflections.”