Every year, multitudes of people graduate from high school and college. The first question most ask them is “What are your plans for the future?” Most have at some point had a dream they want to pursue. Some have no idea; they are just riding each day as it comes. However, the dreams and goals for our future are something we all need to think about often. Without a vision, we will not pursue a dream. Without a plan, we will not achieve our goals.
Do you remember Simeon in Luke 2:25? We find he was a just man devoted to God and the work of God. He wanted to see the Messiah before he died. He was a righteous man serving God faithfully while he waited. In verse 26, it was revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen Jesus. Note, he knew that the Messiah would have to come to the temple on the eighth day after His birth, so he remained in the temple. I can only imagine the joy he felt when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple for his circumcision. He takes Jesus in his arms, blesses God, and declares that he is now ready to die. He has seen the one he was waiting to see. The Messiah was now on earth. His ultimate goal for this life was fulfilled. His dream became a reality.
Luke 2:25-30 “And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation.”
Paul had a goal before he saw Jesus. It was to keep the Jewish religion pure and uncontested. He was out to eradicate the Christian movement that claimed Jesus was the Messiah. However, meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus changed everything. From that moment on, his goal was to please his Savior. The truth of the gospel was his heartbeat. It was the fuel that kept him going through perils and hardships that would cause the average man to cave in and give up. His ultimate goal while on earth was to go to Rome and proclaim the gospel there. He had heard of the church’s success for Christ in the center of an area where the rulers and people worshiped false gods, and he knew it was difficult for those in the church at Rome. Going to Rome for Paul would accomplish several things. He would be allowed to see those new believers at Rome, to check on their church and encourage them. He would be away from Jerusalem, where his life was in danger, and he would be able to proclaim the gospel to the rulers of the Roman government. In Acts 23:11, the Lord himself has assured Paul that he would go to Rome. “ And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.”
Romans 1:8 “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.”
Romans 1:11-15 “For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you (but was let hitherto) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are at Rome also.
Because Paul’s desire was to spread the gospel, to do whatever it took to encourage other believes so they would press on, God allowed him to not only go to Rome, but he was protected by the government, given a home for two years where his friends and fellow believers could visit, and allowed to share the gospel with the rulers of the country. Wow, when the ultimate goal is to please Jesus, He pours on the blessings.
We should have some short-term goals and long-term goals. However, all of our goals should support our ultimate goal in life. The longer we live, the closer we should be to our goal. My goal is to spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus. It will be a dream come true. I long for the day I can sit at his feet and just adore Him. If that is your goal, you will be living in such a way that you are certain you will reach it. Paul and the saints, young and old, have kept their focus on their long-term goal. It keeps them pressing forward here and prepares them for their eternal home. Do not allow your short-term goals to cloud what is really important in life and death. Do not set your sights on the temporal things, but use those temporal things to be stepping stones to the bigger, more important things that last forever.
Philippians 3:-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
