KINGDOM GOALS

KINGDOM GOALS

To be effective in our business or career we are often bombarded with the word GOALS and the goals you need to set each year to make sure that you’re the most effective you can be.  This requires continually assessing your role and productivity, planning what to do, implementing your plans, measuring your progress and then planning again - throughout your career or business. SMART goals which are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timebound is usually encouraged if we must be effective goal setters. A goal according to the oxford dictionary is described as an aim or desired result, the object of a person’s ambition or effort.

 We set financial goals, family goals, health and diet goals, religious goals, but do we set spiritual goals or kingdom goals? What are Kingdom goals? my own definition of kingdom goals are goals that we set for the benefit of the kingdom of God just like we set goals at work and in our businesses, kingdom goals are set so we can be more productive in the kingdom of God and anything that will be of advantage  to the kingdom of God. To really set kingdom goals we first need to find out what God’s goal is for creating us and what our goals therefore as human beings should therefore be?

GODS GOALS FOR MANKIND

You don’t really know someone until you know what moves them deeply. This reminds me of my husband who has taught me to always think deeply before giving someone a birthday gift and if possible make enquiries about what he/she likes and doesn’t like first. So, it doesn’t really make sense to say we know God when we do not know his deepest desire, his desired result, his aim, and his ultimate goal which guides his actions.

FELLOWSHIP

In the beginning God said Let us make man in our image Genesis 1: 26. The bible also tells us that God would come and walk with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day Genesis 3:8 I believe that the reason God made man in his image was so that he could have fellowship with man, I cannot imagine having fellowship with a horse or a cat because we are just not alike and we cannot relate. The bible also tells us about a man called Enoch who walked with God and was taken away by God. Genesis 5: 24 this suggests to me that God loves having ‘walks’ with man, what do you do when you go for a walk with someone you really like or whose company you enjoy? You will talk and gist all the way so also does God love to have conversations with us. I feel that God really enjoyed Enoch’s company and just decided to take him away so he can be with him forever. God hasn’t changed and he is still the same God who wants a close and intimate relationship with you and me that is why he sent Jesus Christ to die for us to restore us and reconcile us back to the original level of intimacy he had with man in the beginning.

 

A NEW HOLY TEMPLE

Ephesians 2:9-22 ¹⁹ Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, ²² in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

God made man in his own likeness Gen 5;1-3, so that we can rule with him over creation but when the devil came to deceive Eve and Adam, man fell so low from a very great height and it took the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary through the crucifixion to redeem us back to God’s original plan. For those who have accepted Jesus and made him their Lord and personal saviour, we are being fitted together in Gods Holy Temple, God is making us look more and more like him until we get to that perfect state when we will look just like him through the help of the Holy Spirit ,2 corinthians 3: 18. But for this to happen we have to overcome the world Rev; 3 12¹² He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.  

Those who overcome will rule with God in his new city, the New Jerusalem which is also his new Holy Temple. God is building for himself this new Holy Temple with Jesus as the chief cornerstone and the apostles of Jesus Christ as the foundation.  Rev 21: 14 ¹⁴ Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names^[a] of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. and you and I who are believers in Christ Jesus are being fitted in together. Gods plan is already complete from the foundation of the world, but for us here it is still unfolding.

 

 

DISPLAY HIS GLORY AND BRING HONOR AND PRAISE TO HIS GREAT NAME

Isaiah 43; 6-7 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’
Bring My sons from afar,And My daughters from the ends of the earth—⁷ Everyone who is called by My name,Whom I have created for My glory;I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”

God created mankind for his Glory, to display his Glory to and through us. John 17: 1-5 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, ² as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should^[a] give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. ⁴ I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. ⁵ And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

 Jesus also came to the earth to glorify his father, he did so by finishing the work which he was called to do, we are all called here on earth to glorify our God by fulfilling our purpose here on earth, we should also bring God glory through the clothes we wear, the way we speak, the way we spend our money, etc everything we do should glorify God.

In the words of Pastor B when Christians act twisted it is the devil using them to try to spite God, but the truth is that even when people try to bring down the name of God it can never work because God is not dependent on man for his perfect display of his Glory, no man can ever deny God of his glory. Romans 3: 5-7. Even disobedience will be turned to his glory. When we don’t give God glory we think we are wise but we are fools, when we are unthankful for anything and everything we become fools, remaining in this foolish state will lead to ultimate destruction if the Lord doesn’t show mercy.

Romans 1:20 ²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,  Even with all the things we see around us, nature, the trees, the beautiful landscape and architecture etc research has also shown that our milky way galaxy has hundreds of billions of stars, enough dust and gas to make billions more stars, some galaxies exist that still haven’t been discovered and they keep discovering new ones, this only reveals to me that our God is Great and our God is Good, but even with all this evidence  some people still fail to give Glory to God, how foolish can a man be to prefer the things that  God made more than the God who made them. We will not be foolish in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen

INDIVIDUAL GOALS

Our goal as human beings is to become more and more like Jesus. Our lives should be transformed through Gods word, James 1; 21-25. If you are still the same person you were last year this year and still dealing with the same bad habits that you did with no record of change you seriously need to check and evaluate your walk with God because you cannot possibly walk closely with God and be the same. It is impossible for The King of all kings to make an entrance in your life and your life will remain the same. Jesus Christ builds us into the temple of God by first coming into our spirits and he does an internal work in us, slowly, day by day, week by week, character trait by character trait works himself into us and we into him. John 15;4 ⁴ Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. We are to cooperate with God by allowing him have full control of our lives, by dwelling in him and God dwelling in us.

LOVE

1 Phillipians 1;9-11. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, ¹¹ being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

We are to love one another with all sincerity of heart and live without offense, but be filled with the fruit of righteousness until the day that Jesus Christ returns or the day we die, helping others to fulfil their own divine destiny and making sure they succeed in their walk with God. As women of God the clearest outward demonstration of Gods glory is showing love to one another, Luke 6: 35 ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  when we love those who do not love us back we are glorifying the name of God. Love is the fulfilment of the law, the 10 commandments are all summed up in the saying “you shall love your neighbour as yourself and you shall love the Lord thy Lord with all your heart all your soul and with all your mind. You owe no one nothing else but love which makes us all in debt in the love bank account because we will always owe each other love. Romans 13:8-10

 

THE BEATITUDES

You have to be a certain kind of person to access the blessings of God. To inherit the kingdom of heaven you have to be poor in Spirit which means to be humble before God recognising that you are nothing without him and that you have done absolutely nothing to gain salvation, living a life of total surrender and dependence on God.

For those who mourn they will be comforted, the only kind of comfort that truly makes a difference in the lives of those who have lost something of great value or a loved one is the kind of comfort that only Jesus can give.

 To obtain mercy from God we have to also show mercy to others, being merciful involves forgiving others who have wronged us and showing compassion for the suffering of the needy.

To be meek is to be gentle, humble, simple, patient and unassuming. Jesus said we should learn from him for he is meek and humble at heart, so meekness is a very vital attribute to cultivate in our lives. My understanding of meekness is from the teaching of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God Pastor Adeboye, he said that being meek is like the being just like the earth or the ground, we stand on the ground, we spit on it, some defecate on it, we do all kinds of things to it and this same earth has the capacity to swallow us up. If you want to be exceedingly great in the earth, then meekness is a quality you must possess.

If you want to see God you have to be pure in heart, this is such an amazing statement because no one has ever seen God Exo 33;18—23, 1 Tim 6; 16. To be pure in heart means to have your thoughts, your will, desires and intentions unblemished by sin.

 If you hunger and thirst for righteousness, it means you have a strong desire to please God, to do what he wants you to do, seeking his will at all times and you will be filled with his righteousness.

If you are always causing strife among brethren by lying, being manipulative, scheming wicked things and bearing false witness you are not a true daughter of God, True peacemakers promote the kingdom of God and they share the gospel of peace.

If you go through trials and temptations for the sake of the Lord count it all joy because you will receive a reward in heaven. James 1 2-4 When we experience trials and tribulations our goal should be to be made perfect and complete lacking nothing.

 

 

GIFTS AND TALENTS  

Paul was given the grace to preach to the gentiles and so he had a goal of preaching to the gentiles about Jesus Christ. Ephesians 3:7 What is that gift that God has given you to fulfil your purpose here on earth? Has God revealed it to you yet?  If yes, are you doing it? what are you waiting for? God will never reveal the bigger picture to you when you have not obeyed him in the ‘small’ things, it is when you obey him in the seemingly small things that he will begin to open up new dimensions, give you deeper revelations, and then the bigger picture then you will begin to understand your purpose here on earth.

God didn’t give you the gift or the talent he gave you for nothing, he gave you to use it glorify him, just like the parable of the ten talents , the other 2 men doubled their talents but the ungrateful one hid his talent, if you do not use the talent God has given you, you will lose it because God will give it to someone else who will use it, but if you use it wisely God will give you more. God doesn’t want us to use our gifts or talents just to make money and enjoy ourselves but to be a blessing to others and help build Gods kingdom. 1 Peter 4:10 ¹⁰ As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. God made us all different with different talents to build the kingdom of God and to be a blessing to one another.

God has made a lot of investment in us all, and he expects a return on that investment. So our goal should be to do all that God has called us to do using up all the that he has given us for the Glory of his holy name and to be spirit filled women who carry God, and act as gods here on earth because we express the very nature of God.

 

OLUBUKOLA ASAFA