Goals Week One

goals - week one

Welcome to Goals

This week, you'll introduce students to Nehemiah and the big goal he had to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in order to protect God's people and honor God.

THE BIG IDEA: Big difficulties can inspire God- sized goals.
THE BIBLE: Nehemiah 1:1-2:5; Mark 16:15

GOAT - Greatest Of All Time

Last year, people accomplished pretty amazing things. They won championships, set world records, released hit movies, wrote best-selling books, and topped the charts with number one singles. That made me wonder, “How many of these incredible achievements started out as a bigger-than-life goal” Take this song, for example.

I don’t know what goals Taylor may have had when writing this song, but I’m guessing “get turned into a goat meme” wasn’t one of them.

Has this ever happened to one of your goals? I don’t mean the screaming goat thing — I mean, have you ever set a goal but had your plan interrupted or side-tracked? It happens! Maybe it’s because you got a little lazy, or you lost focus, or other responsibilities took priority, or you got stuck and weren’t sure how to make it happen.

Watch this weeks
C3Students Message

NEHEMIAH’S GOD-SIZED GOALS
Jerusalem’s troubles birthed in Nehemiah a goal that wouldn’t just benefit himself but would serve his people and his God too.

HIS GOAL BEGAN WITH DIFFICULTY.

Nehemiah’s didn’t set this goal because he needed a cool New Year’s resolution. He set it because he saw a problem that needed to be solved and believed he could help solve it.
When Nehemiah identified the problem that needed to be solved, he grieved and wept. Solving this problem wasn’t just a fun hobby. It mattered deeply to him.

HIS GOAL BEGAN WITH PRAYER.

As Nehemiah wept, he also fasted and prayed. He knew his goal was so big that he couldn’t do it by himself.
Before he made a single move, he asked God for wisdom, guidance, and help. Then he kept praying for months!

HIS GOAL BEGAN WITH GOD’S HELP.

Nehemiah stood up from his prayer and fasting determined to attempt a series of impossible tasks. He knew his own wisdom and experience weren’t enough to guarantee success, so he asked God for help.
The size of this goal forced Nehemiah to put all of his faith in a God who could do what Nehemiah couldn’t.

The book of Nehemiah begins with destruction, loss, grief, and tears — but that’s not where this story is going to end. When Nehemiah heard the news about Jerusalem’s crumbling walls, he discovered an important truth: big difficulties can inspire God-sized goals.

Think about it

So why are we talking about this guy from 2500 years ago? What do he and his walls have to do with us today?

There is so much to say about the story of Nehemiah. Countless books have been written about what his story can teach us about wisdom, leadership, and having a vision.

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to see what we can learn from him about setting and achieving goals — but not just any goals. God-sized goals.

Remember that goal you wrote down a few minutes ago? Take a look at it again. How does your goal compare to Nehemiah’s goal?

Is your goal inspired by a big difficulty? Does it solve a problem? Does it solve a problem that impacts anyone other than you, or is your goal mostly about what you can gain?
Is your goal inspired by prayer? Is it a goal you want for yourself or is it a goal God wants for you too? Have you ever talked to God about it?
Do you need God’s help to accomplish your goal? That’s usually a good indication of whether or not your goal is big enough. If you’re pretty sure you can accomplish the goal, it’s a you-sized goal. A God-sized goal is a goal that likely seems impossible.

So what’s the alternative? How can we learn from Nehemiah and set God-sized goals that can change the world?

BEGIN WITH DIFFICULTY: I don’t mean you need to cause difficulty for yourself, and I don’t mean you need to wait until something difficult happens to you. There is difficulty happening all around us — we just have to open our eyes and notice.

Maybe you’ve experienced difficulty (like loss, bullying, discrimination, or difficulties with your family or health). Chances are, someone has experienced the same difficulties you have experienced. So how can you help? Maybe that’s where your God-sized goal can begin.
Maybe you haven’t experienced very much difficulty, but you can see plenty of problems in the world around you. People are hurting, struggling, and in pain. Maybe that’s where your God-sized goal can begin — by focusing on the needs of others.
We will often find our God-sized goals hidden within something we’re passionate about. Like Nehemiah, our passions can often be inspired by the difficulties we see or experience.

BEGIN WITH PRAYER: If you’re not sure what your God-sized goals could be, start by asking God to open your eyes to the people and needs around you. If you feel like God might be leading you toward a need or a goal, share it with people you trust and see what they think. Wise people can help us set God-sized goals.

BEGIN WITH GOD’S HELP: We’ll need God’s help if our goals really are God-sized.

Just like Nehemiah was desperate for God to do something impossible, let’s believe God can do impossible things through us too.
Then ask God, “Give me the strength to do something about the pain, hurt, and difficulties I see around me.”

Have you chosen a goal yet? Have you dreamed big enough? If you’re not sure, that’s okay. For the next few weeks, we’re going on a journey to discover what kinds of goals God might be calling us to pursue. Today is just the beginning.

This week, I hope you’ll think about this question: “What breaks my heart?” Or maybe, “What should break my heart?” How can difficulty in your life or in the world inspire you to dream about what God can do — and how you can help God do it?

I know the question, “What are my goals for my life?” could be scary. But instead of waiting around for inspiration or cues, what if you (like Nehemiah) looked around for problems that need to be solved?

Whether those problems impact you, others, or the whole world, big difficulties can inspire God-sized goals. I can’t wait to see what kinds of God-sized goals you begin to pursue.