Worthy Goal for Life II

ByPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes

Dear friends, I bless you this day and pray for God’s presence to envelop you throughout this day.

Yesterday we started talking about our goals. Everyone has them. We discussed that there are worthy and less worthy goals. We also saw that after meeting Christ, Paul devoted his life to Him; earnest expectation of Christ to be glorified in his body and through his life became his main goal in life. It is very important to ascertain for ourselves what our goals are.

You and I have been justified by faith in Jesus Christ and we have peace with God. But it is just the beginning. Having been reconciled with God is just the beginning of the Christian walk. What awaits us afterwards? Through faith we gain Access to God’s grace and we expect the glory of God to be progressively revealed in us and through us.

Paul says that he boasts in his hope for the glory of God. Hope is expectation. Hope does not disappoint. Paul was expecting the glory of God. Because of this expectation, he was ready to suffer, to pay any price, and even die. “…we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance”. The one who believes in Jesus is not afraid of tribulations, because he expects God’s glory. The Bible is very clear about the fact that we must suffer with Christ so that we also could be glorified with Him:

«...if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us» (Romans, 8: 17-18).

We suffer when we deny our will. When Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, he said, „Not my will, but Yours be done”. If a person does not have a worthy goal in his life, he as a believer is superficial and shallow. Superficial believers live by emotions: if they feel good, they believe God; if they don’t feel good, they don’t believe God.

A man with a worthy cause never gives up at the time of tribulations. We stand by grace, not by our own power. But grace is only poured on a worthy cause. We are moved by our goals and these goals must be connected to Christ. We see that in the life of Paul.

What motivates you? Test and see whether your goal is worthy or not. Many people work, but it is important what the fruit of this work is. A worthy goal undoubtedly leads us to do worthy works, and these works bring forth worthy fruit.

We must learn this from Apostle Paul. He enjoyed life, but death did not frighten him. He did not fear death because he was confident that he had lived a worthy life on earth. Right after Christ had saved Paul, he started to pursue one goal: to get to know Christ, the power of His resurrection, to suffer with Him so that He could be glorified together with Him.

«For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain» (Philippians, 1: 21)

Paul did not live for himself, but for the others; he did not just pursue good works; he desired Christ to be glorified. His earthly life brought forth good fruit for people and glorified God. That was his only goal: to seek Christ and His anointing. Paul worked hard to help others find enjoyment in God and success in this world, so that their reward would be multiplied at the appearance of Christ.

«And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again» (Philippians, 1:25-26)

What is your choice today: to imitate the world or to affect and change it from the place you are at right now? A worthy goal always brings forth fruit in God. An unworthy goal focuses us on ourselves. What is your life devoted to? How do you spend your time? This is the question we all must answer.

God bless you!

Pastor Rufus Ajiboye

Similar Posts

  • Discipline is one of the ways how God transforms His children into the image of Jesus Christ

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 5 minutes
    We can miss many important and useful opportunities in life if we underestimate what is going on in our lives. God’s discipline is one of these opportunities. Believers have a tendency to despise the discipline of their Heavenly Father. Yet in the Epistle to Hebrews The Lord is calling us to resist the wrong attitude of some believers towards God’s discipline. It says in the Bible: « My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him» (Hebrews, 12:5). The believers that are focused on comfort usually are indifferent towards the truth of God disciplining them. Some of them aren’t even bothered by their sins or irresponsibility. People like that want to be blessed by God, yet they despise God’s discipline. The Bible also tells us that punishment is profitable for us and not God.

  • Why we need the favour? II

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 2 minutes
    «And the Lord had given the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested» (Exodus, 12: 36)When God gave favour to the children to Israel, in one day they took away from the Egyptians an enormous amount of silver and gold. For 400 years the Israelites had worked in Egypt as slaves; they were mocked and oppressed. However, in one moment the favour of God restored to them everything the Egyptians were holding back from them. In a blink of an eye they were made rich.

  • Prayer is a two-way communication

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 5 minutes
    Like I said, it is not what I tell God that it is the most important thing in prayer; it is what God wants to tell me. I will explain why it is so. Is there anything you can tell Him that He does not know! Is there anything at all? He knows everything. You may think that nobody knows what you are going through and that nobody knows the problems you have and how hard your life is. That may apply to people, but not to God. God knows everything! Even before you start praying, God knows everything you may want to tell Him. God also knows why these things are happening to you.

  • God changing us through discipline

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    I believe that discipline is one of God’s tools that help us to change and achieve effectiveness in our personal lives and ministry. Every one of us has a dream or a goal for our lives. But however good or grand these plans or desires are, discipline is a necessary prerequisite for these things to come to pass. Many ideas and desires never come true because people lack discipline.

  • God is the only one who knows the true meaning of human life

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    We are saved by Jesus Christ not by our deeds, to be followed by good deeds God has determined for us. Once we realise that He created us, we understand that our life on this Earth is absolutely meaningless without Him, without relationship and collaboration with God. Without Him we would resemble those who lack brain, wandering in the desert, having no certain way to go. Therefore, such people walk in the dark without light, staggering like a drunken man.«He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth, And causes them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way. They grope in the dark without light. He makes them stagger like a drunken man.» (Job 12:24-25).