Coaches challenge players to set goals, both for themselves and for the team. One way to reinforce this practice is by maintaining a written journal or list of expectations. The great Apostle Paul had goals, too, one of which appears in his letter to the church at Philippi. Paul’s goal was to know Jesus more. If we made Paul’s goal one for ourselves and our players, what would be the result? Would the daily challenges of our jobs, the pains of failed relationships, or the sorrows of daily tragedies seem as unendurable if we knew “the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings”?

Knowing Christ was Paul’s goal because he had been delivered from the darkness of a terrible existence and brought into the light of God’s forgiveness. He had encountered the risen Lord Jesus, the One who overlooked his tragic life and redeemed it with the price of His death on the cross. As a result, Paul could not help but want to know his Savior better.

That intense love for Jesus could be ours as well. If we set goals to improve our team’s performance, why don’t we also set goals to improve our relationship with Jesus Christ? When we make goals for ourselves and our teams, we assess our progress from time to time; we can do the same with our spiritual goals by bringing them into the light of God’s love and remembering His power at work within us.