One of my favorite stories regarding the value of goal setting is about a study done of the graduating class of Yale University in 1953. Only 3% had written down goals. Twenty years later, in 1973 a follow up study was done. It was discovered that this 3% with written down goals were worth more, in financial terms, than the other 97% combined.

But modern psychology did not invent goal setting. Paul referred to goal setting in this famous passage:

It's not that I've already reached the goal or have already completed the course. But I run to win that which Jesus Christ has already won for me. [13] Brothers and sisters, I can't consider myself a winner yet. This is what I do: I don't look back, I lengthen my stride, and [14] I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God's heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus. Philip. 3:12-14 [GW]

Goals benefit us in a variety of ways.  The make us more productive. We get more done. Goals simplify decision making. When faced with a difficult decision, we simply ask the question: will this move me away from or toward my goal?

Goals make life fun. They make life into a game, a sport, an adventure. We are not just stuffing envelopes; we are trying to stuff X envelops in Y amount of time. The goal makes a game of it and turns a routine task into a sport.

Goals put a man on the moon. Goals help us to lose weight, get out of debt, and grow our Sunday School. Goals help us to do what we want to do with our lives.

Goals take on a variety of shapes and sizes. We have the big picture goal of a grand vision for our lives. More useful are specific, time oriented goals. As we reach these specific, time oriented goals, they help us fulfill the big dream.

Goals are sometimes written in terms of outcome: I want to sell so many widgets this year. Better goals are written in terms of behavior you can control: I want to make so many presentations this year. Realistically, we need a bit of both. We want to sell so many widgets so we need to make so many presentations. But, if we make the presentations and don't reach the outcome goal, we need to rethink the methods.

God has given us a predictable universe. It is called the law of sowing and reaping, and it is in the Bible. You reap what you sow. This is why if you plant a Saddleback style church in a Saddleback like environment you will get Saddleback style results. This is roughly what you seen in churches like Northpoint in greater Atlanta and Fellowship Church in Dallas.

Similarly, if you use methods that didn't work last year and you use the same methods this year, you can expect to get the same results. You get the same results, by the way, even if you pray about it, in the same way that a farmer that plants corn and prays for beans will get corn. Never use spirituality to contradict God's law of sowing and reaping.

So, we need big picture goals, we need behavior goals and we need to short-term outcome goals. 

I was talking to my kids about goals the other day and one of them quoted a line from the movie, Dodge Ball. It went something like, "If you never set goals, then you can never fail, and that feels pretty good."

I disagree. You are going to fail whether or not you set goals. The difference is, if you set goals, you can discover the failure in a timely manner and do something about it.

If I don't set any goals as far as health and losing weight, it is true that I will never get on the scales and be frustrated that I haven't lost more weight. In fact, I may never get on the scales at all. But I will still fail to be healthy. Lack of goals don't make me healthy; they just keep me out of touch with how bad it is.

One of the great things about goals is you are able to see your failure. In fact, if you achieve all your goals, you are probably not setting your goals high enough. The great thing about failure is you can make corrections.

Dream great dreams for God. Dream no small dreams. Dream big dreams, dreams worthy of our big God.