Many people go through life without setting any goals. The most successful people set goals. For many years I drifted through life and followed what other people said I should do. I got a degree in Industrial Engineering, but did not have a passion for the field. After some job losses, God woke me up and finally pursued my passion. I had to set a goal. How about you? Is there an area of your life where you are not making progress like family, marriage, social, spiritual, financial, education or vocational?
In this section of Joshua, we will see the importance of setting goals. Israel defeated 31 kings and possessed a large amount of land with specific boundaries (Josh. 12:1,24). God’s mission for our lives includes victory and success if we set goals. Each tribe of Israel received a portion of the land according to their division (Josh. 12:7-8). God wants to occupy each area of our lives, but we often let laziness, apathy and fear reign instead of setting goals. We only have so much time to accomplish the will of God (John 9:4).
When Joshua was getting old, the Lord said much of the land remained to be possessed (Josh. 13:1-6). God would drive out the inhabitants from before Israel (Josh. 13:6). Even though the conquest of Canaan was still incomplete, Joshua knew an immediate distribution of the land would give Israel a taste of success and encourage them to pursue greater victories (Josh. 13:7-12).
Specific and measurable goals provide milestones to know if we are meeting them. Josh. 13:13 includes a progress report where Israel did not meet their goal of possessing the Geshurites and Maacathites. Writing down our accomplishments spur further action. Josh. 13:22 provides an example listing the killing of Balaam with a spear.
Each of us are called to different functions. Levi was the only tribe not receiving land since the Lord was their inheritance (Josh. 13:14,33). God calls out certain people to spend time with Him as their vocation to equip and empower the body of Christ. Most people, including the other tribes in Israel, had an inheritance of land given to them (Josh. 13:15-32). For us, it may be a business, job or responsibility God has assigned to us. He has a master plan for every person and congregation to bring God’s kingdom on earth. Our goal is to discern God’s will to “work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day.” Setting goals allows us to fulfill the work He calls us to accomplish.
A practical goal setting pathway is the acronym, SMART:
S: specific
M: measurable
A: achievable
R: realistic
T: timely
Set a “SMART” goal for an area of your life like family, marriage, social, spiritual, financial, education or vocational.
