Christian Goal Setting: Students Learn About Keeping Their Eye On the Prize!
State College, PA – Would you set out on a journey is you didn’t know the destination? That’s the question that Holy Trinity VBS students explored today as they discussed what it means for the Christians to set a goal and to focus on it. It is important that each of us discover God’s course or plan for us. There will be challenges, the struggle will be tough, but the rewards will outweigh anything we can imagine.
Christians are heartbroken and pulled in all directions by the overwhelming sense of need in the world. It is impossible for one individual to meet all these needs, nor can he or she expect to do so. In order to be the most effective, we can not spread ourselves out going in all directions, any more than a cross-country runner can run down all roads. We can not just throw up our hands and do nothing either; ultimately we would get nowhere.
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize…therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly: I do not fight like a man beating the air.” (1 Cor. 9:24, 26).
Can you imagine a football coach telling his football coach to individually run where to go: What chaos would result? Would they achieve anything? But if each player does his part towards a purpose, a goal is often achieved. We need to do the same with the individual activities in our lives. We need to focus on things we do toward the goal God has for us.
Doing What It Takes to Reach the Goal: Self-Discipline
What is self-discipline?
- Discipline must be complete. Training some muscles and neglecting others does not help. Running well the first half of the race and taking it easy the second half will not help you to win.
- Discipline must be consistent. Growth is very slow, but decay is very quick. It takes months for a tomato to develop and ripen but it can rotten in a matter of days.
- Discipline must be a personal choice. We must count the cost of following Christ. We will never be fully disciplined in our walk until we understand what it really cost us, and what it cost Christ. Until the decision to follow Christ is completely ours, for our own reasons, we will never be disciplined enough to stick to it. Make up your mind what you will do with your life.
- Discipline must be a commitment. If we are going to win, we must really want to win! Those who have never taken hold of the prize with their hearts will never take hold of the prize with their hands. We must live our Christian lives because we want to, not because everyone else is doing it.
VBS Curriculum Acknowledgement
This year’s classroom instructional and VBS Daily News content is based upon the “Creative Youth Ideas” study series Destined to Win by Ken Sapp.