Then the Lord answered me and said:
“Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry.
Behold the proud,
His soul is not upright in him;
But the just shall live by his faith.
(Habakkuk 2:2–4; NKJV)

I like goals. Goals give me vision for how to prioritize my time. When I don’t have goals, I have too much time and too little to do, and I find myself in all kinds of trouble. Of course, those who know me well know how easy it is for me to fall into the opposite trap of having too much to do, too little time, and stressing needlessly. Between these extremes, I think there’s room to pray for God to give us vision, including goals that guide us accordingly.

When it comes to vision, a lot of Christians find encouragement in Habakkuk 2:2–4. Writing down the goals or vision we believe God has given us is helpful as a reminder about what we believe God would have us do and how He would have us do it. A word of caution here—we must not hold such a vision with a “Thus Saith the Lord” attitude. We need to be discerning and flexible in how God moves in our lives.

I saw a post from Dave Ramsey just a couple days ago about setting goals for the New Year in seven areas of life. I am a fan of Dave Ramsey. Financial Peace University has given my family a clear, simple plan to follow, bringing us a great amount of peace and unity about our finances. So, when I saw his post, I sensed the freedom to follow his suggestion. The seven areas of life he mentioned are spiritual, financial, career, intellectual, fitness, family, and social.

Here are my personal goals for 2024:

Spiritual. Read and pray through the Gospel of Luke. Start and keep a prayer journal, praying at least twice weekly. I have found no greater source of hope and peace than spending time regularly with the Lord in prayer and Scripture. I look forward to carrying that forward.

Financial. Pay off our car debt. Last year we paid off my student loans and all our consumer debt. All of our remaining debt is in the cars and the house. I had no idea how much stress I carried about our finances until beginning our journey toward a debt-free life.

Career. Successfully complete the Doctrinal Summary, Homiletics, and fall Ministry Internship courses for my master’s program. The journey for completing my Master of Divinity has been long, with many starts and pauses, but completion is finally in sight (summer 2025).

Intellectual. Write at least 20 blog posts. I have a long-range vision for compiling and revising many of these into a devotional-study that can be followed individually and with small groups and Sunday school classes. Writing and posting these is a first step toward that vision.

Fitness. Exercise at least four times weekly. Lose at least 50 pounds. Most of my adult life I have been overweight. In 2017–2018 I lost a lot of weight and enjoyed getting into running. I’ve since gained back a lot of that weight, but I’d like to get back down to a healthier weight.

Family. See our grandparents and cousins at least once a month. Host both sides of the family at least once at our house. After over a decade of moving around the Southwest and West Coast, we’ve moved closer to both our families. I want to be sure to prioritize family relationships.

Social. Call a handful of friends at least once a month. I think it’s easy to underestimate the value of having close personal friends. I have a hard time making and keeping in touch with friends, so I want to be sure and prioritize those relationships as well.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on goals or resolutions for the New Year. Do you make any New Year’s goals or resolutions? If you do, what are some of the goals you’ve set for 2024? If not, do you have any personal goals you’re working toward right now? Let me know in the comments section below.