Setting Goals

Philippians 3:13b-14 “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” NIV

Throughout my adult years, I always laughed about how I had weighed 135 pounds in junior high school, but that number was totally unattainable. I would shop for clothing and skip the misses section altogether. Straight to the plus sized selections I’d go, inwardly feeling discouraged and hating the thought of having to try on yet another bigger size than the last time. They were just making clothes different than they used to, I’d reason to myself. 

“If I could just get below 200 pounds, I’d be happy,” I thought to myself. I had just started my weight-loss journey, and I didn’t really know what my goal should be. All I knew was that I wanted to lose weight. I was currently 225 pounds, and I remembered having been around 190 when I became pregnant with both of my children. That wasn’t so bad I thought. Surely, if I can lose just 26 pounds, I’d be satisfied with that. So I set my goal. 199 it was. I reached it. And I still wasn’t happy. I knew it wasn’t enough because I was only one size smaller! How could this be? I thought my life would be so different. After all, 26 pounds was a lot of weight! And besides that, no one had even noticed. Really! Not. one. person. noticed that I had lost the equivalent of a toddler! I was certainly proud of myself for my accomplishment, but I knew that I deserved to be healthy, and that God wanted me to be as well. 135 was starting to feel like the goal I needed to hit. I didn’t want to admit it, though, because that would mean that I had simply been making excuses all these years. Truth be told, that’s exactly what they were. I have a small skeletal frame, I’m only 5’3”, and 135 is a perfectly healthy weight for me. The only problem? 135 pounds was 64 pounds away! 

I again went to the Lord and asked for His help. He help me set attainable goals, 20 pounds per stage. I would only focus on 20 pounds at a time, trusting God for the next level. He was faithful. Trying to change my lifestyle and my body without having a goal was hard, to say the least. Once I organized my plan and had my goal in mind, it was much easier to finish my marathon.

Paul frequently uses athletic language in his writings, as he explains the goal of our spiritual lives. That is, to really, truly know Jesus, our Lord, in such a personal way as to share in His nature. As with a healthy lifestyle, and with weight management in general, our spiritual lives are also a journey. We must hold to the progress we have made in growing more like Him, never turning back, and ever drawing closer to His side. Paul was willing to give up everything, his education, his standing, his reputation, his freedom, and even his very life to obtain the “heavenly prize” of eternal life.

If we are going to be successful in our Christian lives, we must set goals for ourselves as well. How do we know how to pace ourselves in the race if we can’t locate the finish line? Could you set a goal for how long you will spend time with Him each day? Maybe you could set a goal for a particular ministry with which you want to be involved. Start attending a Bible study group and see where that leads. Aimlessly trying to live a Christian life without pressing toward a goal is difficult to say the least. Christ is the goal, though. Press toward Him!

Encouragement for Today

Proverbs 21:5 “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” ESV

2 Chronicles 15:7 “But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” ESV

Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” ESV

Expensive

It’s too Expensive

Read Matthew 25:14-30

Matthew 25:29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. NLT

My co-worker was exasperated. She had just gone to the grocery store and was shocked at the price of fresh produce. She had recently become interested in a life-style change but was frustrated quickly after her first grocery shopping trip. “I can’t believe how much it costs to feed my family a healthy diet for just a week! My bill this week was 30% more than I normally spend, and I just don’t have that every week,” she said. She was discouraged. Desperately wanting to model better habits for her children, she had committed but was worried she just couldn’t keep it up.

Many people blame their poor food choices on the opinion that eating healthy just costs more. In reality, this isn’t always the case. Need a quick snack? A candy bar costs roughly $1.29 versus $0.50 for a lunchbox apple. Didn’t have time for breakfast? Forget the $3.00 you would normally spend at the donut shop and opt for a $2.25 bowl of steel-cut oatmeal at Starbucks. For dinner, try using ground turkey instead of ground beef and save $1.00/pound, as well as about 50 calories and several fat grams per serving. 

There are also other factors to consider when changing your eating habits. Eating at home is always healthier and certainly saves on the pocketbook over dining out. As you lose weight and gain muscle, clothing choices will explode and the price tag gets smaller! As you become healthier, doctor bills come less often and premiums for health and life insurance decrease. When looking at the bottom line, it all comes down to looking at the return on your investment.

Matthew’s Gospel records the Parable of the Three Servants who were entrusted with their master’s money. Two of the servants invested the money entrusted to them, and one dug a hole and just hid the money in the ground. In the end, the first two servants doubled their’s while the third merely held onto his initial endowment. The Master was quite pleased with the first two servants, but threw out the third servant, angry that the servant didn’t even make an attempt. 

God has given us gifts, in today’s case, our physical bodies to care for and nourish. When we fill them with unhealthy food, chemicals, and processed substances, we have not profitably invested in the body that God, our Creator, has entrusted to us. We will not see a profitable return on our investment if we continue to make unhealthy food decisions and refuse to burn the energy that our food provides. Like the master in the parable, our Master expects us to use our body to glorify Him, and that takes an investment. Remember also, not only has He created us, He has purchased us with His blood. 

How will you invest? Investing the time and treasure to living a more pleasing lifestyle to honor God with our body will ultimately pay off in the end. The investment in the temple that God has created you to be will earn great rewards.

Encouragement for Today:

Proverbs 28:26 Those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe. NLT

Proverbs 21:20 In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has. NIV

Proverbs 21:5 Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty. NLT



Here is a quick list of healthy foods under $1
Eggs
Yogurt
Apples
Bananas
Individual Portions of Nuts
Carrots
Onion
Sweet Potatoes
Garlic
Tea
Cabbage
Individual String Cheese Sticks
Beans
Lentils
Chicken Breast (Per Serving)
Canned Tuna
Canned Salmon
Milk (per Serving)
Wholegrain Pasta
Brown Rice
Quinoa
Popcorn (No Butter of course)
Kiwi
Cantaloupe
Watermelon (per Serving)
Pears
Oranges
Tomatoes
Lettuce (an entire head)
Squash
Broccoli
Water
Coffee