Leading

Click here to read the Old Paths Journal.

Leading by Following

Luke 2:51

"And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart."

The greatest leader who ever lived was Jesus. When the world thinks of great leaders, rarely do you hear them bring up Jesus as a great leader. However, when you consider that Jesus is the Son of God, you will realize that He was most certainly the greatest leader. Yet, how often do you look at the life of Jesus for leadership lessons?

One of the greatest leadership lessons in the Scriptures is taught in the verse above. Jesus understood that He was the Son of God. However, though He understood at this point that He was the Son of God, He still subjected Himself to His parents. Though He should have led His parents because He was the Son of God, He still followed Joseph and Mary because they were His parents. Jesus exemplified in this verse that He was a great leader because He understood that great leaders will follow when they are not in their area of leadership.

It is often said that you don't deserve to lead if you can't follow. Before leaders ever had the opportunity to lead, they had the opportunity to follow. Following qualifies who deserves to lead. This is because when you lead, you are still following. Great leaders don't use their position to get their way, but they use their position to serve their followers.

Parents need to rear their children to be leaders. One of the reasons why children should obey is so they can learn to be better leaders someday. Obedience should be expected of children. When a child is out of control and won't obey, then they are showing that they will be a poor leader because if they had a position of leadership, then they would use that position for their own gain.

Moreover, you should always use a person's ability to follow as a measuring stick to determine their ability to lead. A person who can't follow their pastor in the church should never be given a position of leadership. An employee who cannot follow their supervisor should never be given a position of leadership. A citizen who cannot follow the laws of the land should never be given a position of authority in society.

If you want to be a better leader in the areas in which you lead, then you need to be sure to be a good follower. Stop being the one who always has to buck the system. Questioning those in leadership should not be your mantra. I am not implying that you should be a blind follower, but I am implying that you should learn to subject yourself to those who lead you, even if you know how to lead in that area. The greatest qualification for leadership is followship. When you have learned how to follow, then you have learned how to lead.

Things

Click here to read the Old Paths Journal.

Things of God or Man

Mark 8:33

"But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men."

One of the things that every Christian must learn to be successful in is to discern whether something is of God or man. Peter was like most Christians in that early in his Christian life he had no discernment in this area. Jesus questioned Peter to teach him how to discern whether something is of God or man. Jesus asked Peter, "But whom say ye that I am?" After Peter answered, Jesus responded by telling His disciples that He would have to die on the cross for the sins of mankind. However, Peter took exception to Jesus saying He would die and rebuked Him. Yet, in the verse above Jesus began to teach Peter how to discern whether something is of God or man.

The first test of discernment is to determine whether it is about you or God. Verse 34 says, "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Discerning whether a work is about man or God is to see who gets the glory for the work. If man gets the glory, then the work is of man. Every work should be about God getting the glory. Whatever you do, only get involved in works that will bring glory to God.

The second test of discernment is to see whether the work is trying to impact the immediate or the future. You will see in verse 35 that the future impact is God's main concern. You will find that there are many things that are only concerned with the immediate results. For instance, one of the biggest problems you will see in the political realm is how politicians are more concerned with the next election cycle than they are with the future of their country. This is a very dangerous way to live. God's Word was written with the future in mind. Most of God's works will not have an immediate impact, but all of His works will have a good impact on your future.

The third test of discernment is to see if the work will cause you to have to change your soul to profit. Verse 36 asks, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Your soul is who you are; it is your character. When you have to change who you are for the sake of profit, then this work is not of God. God never asks you to sacrifice your character for His work. If you have to sacrifice your character for a job, then the job is not right. If you have to sacrifice your character to marry someone, then that person is not the right person to marry. If you have to sacrifice your character to be successful in your business, then you are joining the wrong business venture. Always remember that God's works put character before profit.

The last test of discernment is to see if the work is being done for perception instead of right and wrong. Verse 38 makes it very clear that God does not want us to be ashamed of His Words. When you are more concerned with perception than you are with truth, then you are working for the wrong reason. Truth should ALWAYS be your major concern. Don't ever let your perception cause you to compromise truth.

Having the discernment to determine whether something is of God or man is imperative to your Christian life. Until you acquire this discernment, you will find your Christian life to be unstable. Start using these four principles to help you determine whether something is of God or man.

A Burden?

Click here to read the Old Paths Journal.

Why the Christian Life is a Burden

Matthew 23:4

"But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,"

One of the sad things I have seen throughout my Christian life is the dropout rate of Christians. According to the Barna Group, there is a 59 percent dropout rate of young Christians from ages of 18 to 30. This percentage should be alarming to every Christian. Another study showed that of those who dropped out of church, only 13 percent came back in their late 20's. What I have also seen that these studies did not cover is that many of those who stayed stopped their involvement in the church ministries. God's desire is that no Christian would ever stop serving Him. However, let me show you what I believe is the cause of this dropout rate and young Christian's lack of involvement.

In the verse above, Jesus addressed the multitudes about the dangers of the scribes and Pharisees. Though these two groups of people were very religious, they caused many to leave the Christian life because of the burdens they placed upon people. The sad part is that the philosophy of the Pharisees and scribes still exists today. This philosophy that has infiltrated our churches has caused the Christian life to be burdensome. I believe God wanted the Christian to enjoy serving Him. Too many Christians come to the point where they only exists as they try to succeed in the philosophy of the Pharisees. There are four things we see from Matthew 23 that causes the Christian life to be burdensome.

First, seeking position causes the Christian life to be a burden. Verse 2 shows us that the Pharisees sought to "...sit in Moses' seat:" You must be careful about falling into this trap of seeking position. I have watched many preachers get discouraged because they sought position among their peers in Christianity only to become disillusioned with the whole Christian life. I have watched Christians whose whole agenda is to acquire a high position in their church. Let me warn you that this will burden down your Christian life.

Second, pleasing man causes the Christian life to be a burden. The verse above shows us that the Pharisees were only concerned with what man thought about them. Christian, if you do everything with the concern of what others think about you, you will place an undo burden on your Christian life. You will never please man! If your Christian life consists of worrying about what others think about you, then serving God will be a burden.

Third, seeking titles causes the Christian life to be a burden. In verse 7 we see that the Pharisees were concerned with how they were addressed. They wanted titles placed on their names to impress people. Stop worrying about titles. Too many people seek a title in their church so they can impress others. If your whole purpose in serving God is to acquire a title, then you will find the Christian life a burden.

Last, seeking associations will cause the Christian life to be a burden. In verse 6 the Pharisees were concerned with being in the "uppermost rooms" with the leaders of their movement. Though I believe this is a small group of people in Christianity, there are those who want to say they are close to a "big name" preacher or Christian to impress others. Don't be a name dropper, for once you start dropping names you will feel you must prove to everyone how close you are to these people.

The answer to all of this is simple. The answer is to serve God to please Him and not man. Let God worry about positions and titles. You just need to stay busy serving God. When you come to the point in your Christian life when you are not concerned with what man thinks, but with what God thinks, then you will find the freedom and enjoyment that you desire.

Distant

Click here to read the Old Paths Journal.

A Distant Heart

Matthew 15:8

"This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me."

The Pharisees were a very religious people. If you were to look at the Pharisees, you would think that they were a very moral people. Their lifestyle was very righteous. Jesus commented about their morality in Matthew 5:20 when He says, "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." However, though their lifestyle was moral, their heart was very distant from God. They lived their life for man's perception. Yet, their heart was not in tune with their lifestyle. In the verse above, Jesus condemned their distant heart because He wanted them to draw nigh to Him with their heart.

I see today that there are many people whose lives are very similar to the Philistines. They know how to talk right. When you go to church these people know the "Christian" lingo and how to impress people with it. They dress right as well. If you were to see them walk inside the church, you would think that this is a very sharp Christian person. However, their heart is very distant towards God. They have learned how to act out the Christian life in public, but inside their heart is worldly and vile. Sure, they live moral lives on the outside, but inside they are so filled with worldliness and sin that they have no desire to pray or read the Scriptures. What a sad commentary of many Christians whose heart's are distant towards God.

However, let me take this a step further. There are married couples who draw nigh to each other with what they say, but inside their heart is distant towards their spouse. These couples say what they need to say, but inside their heart is going a different direction. The same can be said about children who say the right things to their parents, but their heart is drifting away. Yes, on the surface they may seem like good children, but they have slowly drawn their heart away from their parents. It is just as bad to have a distant heart with your spouse or parents as it is to have a distant heart with God.

Married person, is your heart distant towards your spouse? Are you just going through the motions of marriage? Your spouse desires your heart to be close more than they desire you going through the motions of saying the right things. They see when you get more involved with other things than you do with them. They can see when another person's phone call brings more emotion than their presence at home. Be careful about simply going through the motions of marriage. Don't just draw near to your spouse with your lips, but also draw near to them with your heart. When your heart has drawn near to your spouse, then meeting each other's physical and emotional needs will be enjoyable, and not an obligation.

Teenager, is your heart distant towards your parents? Are you guilty of saying the right things, but inside your heart is slowly being pulled away? Your parents can see when your heart is slowly being drawn away. Your heart reveals itself when you roll your eyes or complain because you have to do something with them. Teenager, telling your parents "I love you" is a wonderful thing to do, but your parents desire you to draw near to them with your heart.

Christian, don't be guilty of lip service. Put your heart into every relationship. Saying the right things may make someone feel good for the moment, but eventually your heart will be revealed. If you will draw near with your heart, then your actions will back up what you say.

Miranda Rights

Click here to read the Old Paths Journal.

Your Spiritual Miranda Rights

Matthew 12:37

"For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."

Anyone who has watched a television show that involved someone being arrested has heard what is called the Miranda rights. When the police arrest someone because they are suspected of a crime, by law the police officer is to read the suspect their Miranda rights which say, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you." These rights warn the suspect that every word they say will be used against them to try and convict them of the crime they are suspected of committing. The power of the suspects words will either condemn them or set them free.

Before the Miranda rights ever existed, God established the fact that a person's words will be held against them. No, you may not be suspected of a crime, but every word you say will be held against you at some time in your life. Often you will hear something brought that a politician has said in the past. Their words condemn or validate their stance on a certain issue. Likewise, it is very important that you watch every word that you speak, for it is likely that one day your words will be used against you.

Every parent needs to be careful what they say. Parents, your children listen to what you say, and if you change your children will throw it in your face. Don't promise your children something that you are not sure that you can fulfill. Only make a promise to your children that you can absolutely fulfill. A parent's word to their child will either justify or condemn their character in the eyes of their child.

Every spouse needs to be careful what they say. Often a spouse will make a promise that they cannot fulfill. When you promise your spouse something, then do everything in your power to fulfill that promise. You can greatly damage your marriage by not keeping your word. Don't break your word, especially when it comes to your marriage vows. When you break the most sacred words that established your marriage, you could ruin the trust your spouse has in you and ultimately destroy your marriage.

Christian, be a person of your word. Follow through with what you say. Preachers need to be careful to follow through with their words. Sunday school teachers need to be careful to do what they say they will do. Spiritual leaders need to be sure that their words do not condemn them. Your character is at stake, and your words will either justify or condemn your stance on the Scriptures.

Simply put, realize that everything you say may be held against you. Because of this, be slow to speak. Don't be rash with your statements, but let everything you say be deliberate and thought out. Before you say you are going to do something, be sure you count the cost of your words. Guard your words all the time just like you would guard your words if you were under arrest. Don't let your words condemn you, but rather let them justify your life because you follow through on everything you say.

Greatness

Join Our Mailing List!

Click here to read the Old Paths Journal.

Greatness Defined

Matthew 5:19

"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

When God defines greatness, you will notice that His definition does not include position. We often hear that a preacher is a great man because of the size of his church. However, the size of a man's church does not make him great. Likewise, the amount a person gives in the offering plate does not make a person great. Just because someone has sacrificed greatly in the Christian life does not make them great. Furthermore, just because a person has started a great Christian organization does not make them great. Though most of these accomplishments will be rewarded, these do not make a Christian great. We often define greatness by how much influence a person has. However, if influence or the size of a work is what make a person a great Christian, then there would be many who would never be able to attain that status in the eyes of God.

God makes it possible for all to attain the status of greatness. God always gives the wherewithal for His people to be able to do what He expects of them. Therefore, when God defined greatness, He simply said that a person who obeys and teaches His commandments is considered great in His kingdom. When God narrowed it down to this definition, then you can see that any person can be considered great, for greatness has nothing to do with status, it all has everything to do with action.

First, to be great you must obey God's commandments. God's Word is filled with His commandments. You will have a hard time attaining greatness if you don't read God's Word daily. When you daily read the Word of God, you will find out what God expects from you as a Christian. Afterwards, you can go from your time of study and obey what He taught you in the Word of God. For instance, God commands us to be faithful to church. That means that you will never be a great Christian without being faithful to church. Likewise, God commands us to be personal soul winners. You cannot be a great Christian unless you actively pursue leading people to Christ. If you don't fulfill the Great Commission, then you cannot be a great Christian. Simply put, the first step in becoming a great Christian is to obey God's commandments.

The second step in becoming a great Christian is to teach God's commandments. In other words, obeying them is not enough, God wants you to graduate into teaching them to others. I often hear people who are trying to impress me with their Christianity by telling me what they don't do. They want me to think they are great because they are obeying God's commandments. However, God says a person is not a great Christian until they start teaching His commandments also. It is not enough just to obey, but you must also teach others what they are supposed to do. This is the final step in becoming a great Christian.

You will notice that becoming a great Christian can be accomplished by simply obeying the Great Commission. If you will start living right, and then lead people to Christ and teach them how to do the same, then you will be considered a great Christian. This means you can be a great Christian. My question to you is this, would God consider you great? Are you actively obeying God's commandments and His will for your life? Then, are you teaching others to do the same? These two are the two requirements needed to become a great Christian. I challenge you to strive to be a great Christian. You may not be recognized as a great Christian on this Earth, but when you get to Heaven you will be recognized as a great Christian if you will do what you've been taught and then teach it to others.

Greatest Words

Click here to read the Old Paths Journal.

The Greatest Words of God

Malachi 1:2

"I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,"

When we think of the greatest words that God has ever said, it seems that it would be hard to come up with the one statement that is the greatest. Face it, there are many wonderful things that God has said or promised. However, I believe that the greatest words that God has ever said are that He loves us.

Notice the verse above says, "I have loved you,..." This love is past tense. God reminds us that He has loved us in the past. When you look at your past you will see God's love was evident. He loved you enough to save you from your sins. He loved you enough to send His Holy Spirit to convict you so that you could get saved. He loved you in the past by allowing you to be created. He proved His love in the past by dying for your sins on the cross. Notice Romans 5:8 says, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Thank God, we can look at our past and see God's love toward us.

However, not only did God love us in the past, but He also loves us in the present. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Christian, this is a present tense love. God loves us so much that the only way He could describe how much He loves us is by saying, "For God so loved the world,..." When you try to describe how great God's love is toward mankind, it is so great that the only word that can describe it is the word, "so." You may think that God could never love you, but I can promise you that He loves you.

Moreover, God will love you in the future. 1 Corinthians 13:8 says, "Charity never faileth:..." This statement is a great statement because once love has been turned on it can never be turned off. Christian, this is wonderful news for you because this is a promise that God will always love you. Because God loved you in the past, and He loves you in the present, then that means that He will continue to love you in the future because love cannot be turned off. What a promise!

The greatest words that God ever said to mankind are that He loves us. You may think that God could not love you because of what you have done, but let me remind you that God does not love you for what you have done, but He loves you because He chose to love you. God does not love us because of who we are, but He loves us because of Who He is. God is love! It matters not how deep you have fallen into sin, God still loves you. It matters not what you have said to God, though you may have hurt Him, He still loves you. It matters not what your status in society is, God loves you. Whether you're rich or poor, God loves you. Whether you're mentally challenged or intelligent, God loves you. Whether you're good or bad, God loves you. Always remember that God's love for you will never stop.

Christian, don't frustrate God's love by continuing in your sin. Let God's love for you be the catalyst that challenges you to clean up the sin in your life. Moreover, don't take God's love for granted. Daily thank God for His love for you. Never let a day pass without thanking God for His love, and telling Him that you love Him.

Getting ready

Click here to read the Old Paths Journal.

Getting Ready to Meet With God

Amos 4:12

"Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel."

When you have a special guest coming to your house, I would imagine that you make special preparations for their visit. The house gets an extra touch of cleaning, for you want your house to be in great shape for the guest. You make sure the atmosphere is set so the guest will enjoy their time with you. You put on the best menu so they will not leave regretting coming over to your place. You may even plan conversations and activities so they won't be bored while they visit with you. All of this is done because you want your special guest to feel welcome while they are with you.

There is a special guest that you ought to meet with on a daily basis. This special guest is God. The verse above says, "...prepare to meet thy God,..." Though this verse is talking about God's judgment that was to come to Israel, I believe this statement can be applied to our daily personal time with God. Everyday when you meet with God in the Scriptures and prayer, you should want that time to be special, not just for you, but also for God. However, if you don't prepare yourself to meet with God, then you will find yourself quickly going through your time with Him as if you are paying penance. Let me give you some ways that you can prepare yourself to meet with God on a daily basis.

First, put all distractions away. You need to be sure that there is nothing that will distract you when you meet with Him. Our attention span is so short that the Devil will do everything he can to get our attention away from God. Many times this is not intentional on our behalf, but it happens. God also will not force Himself upon us. So be sure that you remove anything that could be a distraction during your time with Him.

Second, you must get rid of all sin. Your time with God will not be a special time if you have sin in your life. In fact, Psalm 66:18 teaches that if we have known sin in our life that God will not hear us. You can invite God over all you want, but He won't show up if you leave your heart filthy with sin. The first thing you should do before meeting with God is confess your sin to Him. Clean up your heart so that God will enjoy meeting with you.

Third, prepare your spirit to meet with God. There will be some days when it will be harder meeting with God because your spirit is not ready. Over the years I have learned some things that help me to prepare my spirit. One of the best ways to prepare your spirit is with music. Before meeting with God, you should play some good instrumental Christian music that helps put you in the proper mindset. Music plays a big role in preparing our spirit to meet with God. We play music at church to prepare the hearts of people to hear the preaching, so why not do the same to help prepare your spirit in your personal time with God.

Finally, while listening to the music, spend some time thinking about God's goodness to you. Write down the things that God did for you on the previous day. Once you have a small list compiled, then take that list and thank God for what He did. You can also use that list to spend some time praising God for His goodness. Thanking and praising God will not only prepare God to come to you, but more importantly it will prepare your heart to meet with Him.

When you have done these things, I believe you will find that your heart, mind and spirit will be prepared to meet with God. Yes, you will have some days when your heart is excited and ready to meet with God, but on the days when your heart is just not ready, do these things to prepare yourself for your meeting with God.

Smarter?

Click here to read the Old Paths Journal.

When Did You Become Smarter?

Hosea 11:1

"When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt."

A sad commentary is made about Israel in this chapter as God talks about their departing ways. He reminded Israel how in their infancy He was there for them. In fact, it was God Who was responsible for Israel's existence. Yet, they thought they were smarter than God, and left Him for what they thought were better ways. God loved them when no one loved them. God helped them when everyone was against them. God healed them when others were bent on destroying them. It's sad that Israel thought that they were smarter than God.

However, this story seems to repeat itself daily in the different areas of life. For instance, it is always refreshing to watch a young child with their parents. In the early stages of a child's life they seem to think that their parents know everything, and with unwavering trust they will follow what they tell them to do. However, when that young child grows into their teenage years, you will often see them question everything that their parents say and do. My question to this teenager is, when did you get smarter than your parents? Why is it that you think you know so much more than your parents?

Likewise, a young Christian comes to a church and soaks up the leadership and preaching of their pastor. How refreshing it is to see young Christians with their hunger for the LORD. Yet, as the years progress that young Christian begins to think they know more than their pastor. This is not to say that the Christian hasn't grown in certain areas, but why do they now think that they are smarter than their pastor?

Over and over again this example could be mentioned. Nations that once used to think their forefathers were brilliant will now disdain their principles. Preachers who once used to follow the teachings and principles of a great man of God, will now think they know more because they have pastored for a few years. Employees who once used to follow their boss' advice now seem to think that they know more than their boss. Why is it that anyone would think that they have become smarter than the one who trained or invested in them?

First, they have allowed the wrong influences to change their thinking. A teenager will allow the adverse influence of a peer to influence what they think about their parents. It's not to say that the teenager isn't becoming wiser, but it's the fact that their parents don't seem to do anything right. You must be careful about allowing wrong influences to dictate your thinking about those who have trained and influenced your life.

Second, the reason someone would think they are smarter is because they forgot what someone has done for them. Don't ever forget what your parents have done for you. Don't ever forget what the forefathers of your nation have instilled as the principles of that nation. Don't ever forget the principles of a preacher who helped formulate your spiritual mindset. Don't allow a suave personality who has done nothing for you change your thinking about someone.

Third, the biggest reason someone thinks that they are smarter than those who helped them become who they are is because that person or people have forgotten who they really are. Even when you have progressed in life, you should never forget what others have invested in you. Be careful about allowing a little success to cause you to think higher of yourself than you ought. Always work at keeping a right perspective of yourself.

Don't allow yourself to think you are smarter than God and those who have invested in you. Always remember what helped get you to where you are. Simply put, don't get too big for your britches!

 

Your Ultimate Goal

Daniel 9:3

"And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:"

Let me ask you a question, and before you read any further I want you to write your answer down on a piece of paper. What is your ultimate goal in life? When you look at the end of your life, what is it that you want to have accomplished?

The goals of people are as diverse as their personalities. It is no doubt that many have a goal of success. When you look at the amount of success books in today's society, you will understand that people want to succeed. What they want to succeed at is certainly different, but they want to succeed. There are pastors whose ultimate goal is to have a large church. Of course, there is nothing wrong with having a large church. There are many people whose goal it is to be wealthy. There are some whose goal is to move up the corporate ladder. There are others whose goal is to be famous in society. Then there are some whose goal is to have a happy family, or a successful marriage. Of course, these things I just mentioned are a few of the goals that many people have.

However, when you look at Daniel's life, he did not seek any of these things. The verse above says, "And I set my face unto the Lord God,..." Daniel's ultimate goal in life was to know God. He spent his life seeking the face of God. He did not seek money or position, he sought God. He did not seek fame or recognition, he sought God. He did not seek success or religious achievement, he sought God. The only thing that really mattered to Daniel was to get to know God. He was so determined to know God that he fasted and prayed just so he could know Him. Yet, you may wonder if this desire to seek God allowed him to "succeed" in life. Yes, it did! Though he did not seek position, he became the second in command in Babylon. He did not seek recognition, but certainly he was a household name around the world as Babylon was the world power in his day. He did not seek riches, yet I would imagine his position allowed him to be financially set for life. All of this happened because his ultimate goal in life was to know God.

I asked you at the beginning of this devotional to write down your ultimate goal in life. Now let me ask you this, was your goal to know God? If you have anything else written down on that piece of paper, then you have the wrong motive for your life. You must understand that knowing God will allow you to accomplish many of the things that people desire. However, seeking God should be your ultimate goal in life. When you get to know God, He will give you the wisdom to succeed in life. Though your purpose in knowing God should not be so that you can succeed in life, yet knowing God will make these things happen.

Christian, it is time to refocus your purpose and ultimate goal in life. Don't let the world's focus be your focus. Make your focus in life to know God. Set your face to seek God. Make your ultimate desire in life to know God as Daniel knew Him. You will find that when you get to know God, that He will give you wisdom to do what is right in every area of life. You cannot know God without Him influencing every area of your life. When God influences every area of your life, then you will find that His influence will cause every area to get better. Start your quest today to know God. Make that your ultimate goal.

Goal

Click here to read the Old Paths Journal.

Your Ultimate Goal

Daniel 9:3

"And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:"

Let me ask you a question, and before you read any further I want you to write your answer down on a piece of paper. What is your ultimate goal in life? When you look at the end of your life, what is it that you want to have accomplished?

The goals of people are as diverse as their personalities. It is no doubt that many have a goal of success. When you look at the amount of success books in today's society, you will understand that people want to succeed. What they want to succeed at is certainly different, but they want to succeed. There are pastors whose ultimate goal is to have a large church. Of course, there is nothing wrong with having a large church. There are many people whose goal it is to be wealthy. There are some whose goal is to move up the corporate ladder. There are others whose goal is to be famous in society. Then there are some whose goal is to have a happy family, or a successful marriage. Of course, these things I just mentioned are a few of the goals that many people have.

However, when you look at Daniel's life, he did not seek any of these things. The verse above says, "And I set my face unto the Lord God,..." Daniel's ultimate goal in life was to know God. He spent his life seeking the face of God. He did not seek money or position, he sought God. He did not seek fame or recognition, he sought God. He did not seek success or religious achievement, he sought God. The only thing that really mattered to Daniel was to get to know God. He was so determined to know God that he fasted and prayed just so he could know Him. Yet, you may wonder if this desire to seek God allowed him to "succeed" in life. Yes, it did! Though he did not seek position, he became the second in command in Babylon. He did not seek recognition, but certainly he was a household name around the world as Babylon was the world power in his day. He did not seek riches, yet I would imagine his position allowed him to be financially set for life. All of this happened because his ultimate goal in life was to know God.

I asked you at the beginning of this devotional to write down your ultimate goal in life. Now let me ask you this, was your goal to know God? If you have anything else written down on that piece of paper, then you have the wrong motive for your life. You must understand that knowing God will allow you to accomplish many of the things that people desire. However, seeking God should be your ultimate goal in life. When you get to know God, He will give you the wisdom to succeed in life. Though your purpose in knowing God should not be so that you can succeed in life, yet knowing God will make these things happen.

Christian, it is time to refocus your purpose and ultimate goal in life. Don't let the world's focus be your focus. Make your focus in life to know God. Set your face to seek God. Make your ultimate desire in life to know God as Daniel knew Him. You will find that when you get to know God, that He will give you wisdom to do what is right in every area of life. You cannot know God without Him influencing every area of your life. When God influences every area of your life, then you will find that His influence will cause every area to get better. Start your quest today to know God. Make that your ultimate goal.