If you want to feel successful and accomplished in life, be sure to set spiritual goals above all others and make them your priority.
Too often, people set material goals, don’t reach them, and then feel disappointed, even like failures. But this doesn’t need to be so.
In the long run, it’s what you accomplish spiritually that matters. Every trophy or hallmark of this world achieved passes into dust. But spiritual gain stays with you forever! It’s what matters most.
For instance, in competitive tennis, with every match, there is a winner and a loser. Yet, the loser can walk off the court feeling like a winner if he sets a spiritual goal in the first place—to play his very best.
However, if his only goal in that match was to be the winner with the best score, he sets himself up to feel like a loser ahead of time if he doesn’t best his competitor’s score.
When we set material goals, the carnal mind uses that as leverage against us, to make us feel like losers when we don’t reach those material goals. But to God, the material goal is not important. It’s what we accomplish spiritually that counts.
The important questions to ask are ones like: Are we a better person for the experience? Did we learn valuable moral and spiritual lessons? Did we put those spiritual lessons into practice?
Jesus wisely taught his followers to avoid worshipping the idols of the world—fame, fortune, fleeting honors and temporal glory—in order to avoid setting oneself up for feeling loss later. He taught his students to set spiritual goals, to seek the riches and honor of Spirit which can never be taken away or held back.
So, set yourself up to be a winner—always! Set spiritual goals.
Let the good you do be the reward you seek. Spiritual growth and accomplishment is a reward that you can earn without limit. It’s yours to be had for the seeking. And it will always leave you feeling good about what you did.
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:19-21, NLT
Careful Spiritual thought is always a winner.
Yes, spiritual goals bless us and help make the world a better, i.e., less material, place. Very rewarding.
Yes of course, Spiritual goals are much higher, more lasting, more satisfying than material goals, though they do not always seem so attractive or real.
Material goals like fame and fortune are fleeting and don’t bring lasting happiness nor satisfaction. But spiritual goals, viz. – the goal of bringing smiles to others, being helpful to the needy, uplifting and giving moral support to the depressed ones, imparting education, being generous, forgiving those who have harmed or hurt us, being sensitive to the needs of our fellowmen or the less fortunate ones, bring lasting peace and happiness and give us a taste of heaven.
The treasures we store in our safes can be stolen or left behind. These are not for keeps. But the treasures that we accomplish from the good we do, bring rich rewards, which always go with us and can never be stolen.
Thanks so much Evan for encouraging us to set Spiritual Goals. Very helpful indeed.
Thought you might like this clip of Sister Madonna Buder
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10153371157943581&fref=nf
Thanks, Maria, for the link to Sister Madonna and her amazing 82 year old life! No sitting back and being stagnant when we she can continue to express God’s strength, stamina, energy, balance, joy. VERY inspiring! Limitless Life…even a glimpse of that spiritual truth frees us up! Thanks, Evan, as always, inspiring and thought provoking. Blessings today, all!
Ohhhhhhh, so Good! Thanks, Evan and all Commenters! Loved the video re. Sister Madonna Buder – she really captures the essence of “Ageless Thought”! Living and Running the Spiritual Life is truly where it’s at! Keep on Truckin’ Everyone! New Year Spiritual Goals and Blessings to All!
I loved today’s words and video. Great help on a day when I have something to do that I’m not keen on doing.
Excellent thought for today Evan. Thank you, too, Grace for sharing that video. How important for us to know that we are all capable, and when we discover our capabilities then responsible to share those with the rest of the world. Our spiritual goals are most important, everything else can come from that.
Oh no, Maria. Thank you for the video.
Set a spiritual goal, then all things material will reflect it successfully. No job searching will go unsuccessful, no schoolwork will seem tedious, household chores will be looked upon as a challenge to do well, etc.
My goal this New Year is turn my inspiration into demonstration.
Thank you Evan once again for your inspiration! Thank you Maria for that outstanding video-loved it! She is an inspiration!
As a Toastmaster I encourage others to compete in Speech Contests. I say it’s not about coming home with a trophy (material thinking) it’s all about taking a progressive step-doing their best and coming home as a winner because they took that step (spiritual thinking-shining as God shines). Every one is a winner.
Spiritual goals is it all about “doing our best” in every aspect of our lives? Expressing our God given qualities like what Nergish expressed in his comments. Or is there more to it? How do you apply a spiritual goal to decisions ones are faced with…like an investment (buy or sell or do nothing) or other myriad decisions that come our way?
Yes, thanks for the video – very encouraging, and Evan thanks for the real spiritual view for today.
Will say it in short, how I understand Evans spiritual view.
For me it means – GOD first in all what we think and do – to start with God, to go with God, to think with God – let all things be done in Love.
Evan and Maria I cannot say mote than THANK YOU for these spiritual truths and how they can so easily be exemplified.