Lord Jesus, Thank You for Your great sacrifice for us, a sacrifice that was more terrible than we anything we can know or imagine. And because You were obedient to save us, You become more glorious than anything we can know or imagine. And You brought us with You. Amen.

Sure, sometimes the Christian life is all about perseverance! Sometimes the best we can do is to put one foot in front of another. Sometimes God calls us to the dark night of the soul. But these very things are the strengthening exercises we need to become the soldiers we are meant to be. No matter how dark our walk seems, if we never lose sight of our Savior then our ultimate destination is with Him — if we stand.

Question: What is your most important goal setting activity? Answer: Your friendship with God! In terms of pure goal setting, Christian goal setting shares the same techniques as secular goal setting. There is nothing wrong with that: Christians don’t operate their cars differently from non-Christians, they order off menus the same way, and they take the same medicines when they’re sick. Goal setting, like cars, restaurants and health, simply works along similar lines. But Christian goal setting is a great deal more than simply meeting objectives, because as Christians we set our goals within the context of 1) our relationship with the Risen Christ and 2) our God-given life purpose.…