(Note: the following discussion was influenced by a blog from Daniel Henderson)
As the calendar changes to a new year, we often consider changes we can make in our families, health, careers, etc. Some call these New Years Resolutions, but I prefer to refer to them as goals. Setting goals is important for several reasons. They cause us to evaluate our lives and choices over the previous year. They give opportunity to look ahead to new possibilities in stead of wallowing in the failures or disappointments of the past. Another huge value is the accountability goals provide. Although we don’t always share them with others, simply writing things down causes us to place more importance on them.
As we discuss setting goals for the new year, we are not going to suggest those you should set for yourselves, they would be as vast and varied as each personality. We are going to look at some goals we should NOT consider for the coming year. These are not based on my opinion, but on the instruction of God’s Word.
In Luke’s recounting of the Sermon on the Mount, he quotes these words from the heart of Jesus in verses 24-26. “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. 25Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 26Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.” The word “Woe” is not often used today, but the most common translations are “How terrible for you” and “What sorrows await you”
Jesus is not saying these things are evil or dangerous in themselves. The peril comes when we make the pursuit of these things a greater priority than pursuing his will and righteousness in our lives. Let’s break down this list to see what warnings we are being given.
Verse 24 cautions us against always needing “more” of the things this world offers. Again, God is not angry with those who have money and possessions, he just knows these things will not last. His fear for us is that we can become so focused on the temporal reward of the things money can buy that we lose our passion for investing in eternity. It happens slowly, but it happens. The result is that we trade our hope for eternity for the comfort of today.
The threat in verse 25 is the quest of a comfortable life. Again, comfort is not bad, but our desire for comfort may keep us from taking risks for the Kingdom of God. Genuine faith in God is putting ourselves in a place that if God doesn’t come through, we will crash. Peter stepping out of the boat to walk on the water to reach Jesus is an example. God may never call us to this extreme, but he does challenge us to be men of faith that take risks to bring him glory.
Also in verse 25, we are challenge to avoid wasting so much time entertaining ourselves that we fail to hear the voice of God. I have found myself watching a sporting event on TV, another one on the laptop while playing a puzzle on my phone. Our minds can get so full of stuff we no longer have space for God to work in our lives.
Finally, we have the last woe in verse 26. This involves being more concerned with the opinion of man than we are with how God sees us. The need to be liked by people may cause compromise in our moral and ethical choices that God calls us to. We can fail to bring glory to God when we become too busy seeking our own glory.
This is not meant to be discouraging, but an opportunity to evaluate what is truly most important to our lives. God wants our attention, not because he is selfish, but because it is in him that our lives and eternities are most rewarding.