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TEXT: Psalm 127
TOPIC CHALLENGING FAMILY GOALS
Pastor Bobby Earls, First Baptist Church, Center Point, Alabama
Sunday Morning, January 15, 2006
Message adatped from Sermon by Dr. James Merritt
This morning we’re continuing our series on Challenging Goals for Your Future.
Today I want to bring to you a message about the family, I am calling Challenging Family Goals.
It is interesting that the Lord would lead me to this message at a time when the value of family is now more important to us than ever.
Few things on this earth are more important than family.
We all need to reevaluate our commitment to the priority of family in our lives.
A wise man once said, “if you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time!”
God is pleased when we plan ahead, and set goals that challenge us to improve our lives.
Jesus may have said, “Don’t worry about tomorrow,” but he didn’t say, “Don’t think or plan for tomorrow.”
Proverbs 16:9 says, /“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”
/In other words, we can make our plans but we must still trust the Lord for the results.
Remember the definitions we used a few weeks ago to explain what a goal is?
1.
A Goal is a Statement of Faith.
2. A Goal is Something I Believe God Can Do Through Me.
When we say that a goal is a statement of faith I think about the scripture that says, /“All things are possible with God.”// /
When we say that a goal is something I believe God can do through me, I think about Philippians 4:13 that says, /I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” // /
Today we are going to talk about setting some important family goals, but before we do let me say just a few more things about the importance of goal setting itself.
FOUR OBSERVATIONS @ GOALS
Let me give you four quick observations about why setting goals is important:.
*1.
**Setting Goals Establishes Priorities.** **
*If you don’t establish your priorities, someone else will.
Jesus said, /“Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.”
/Matthew 6:33.
Setting the right kind of goals establishes proper spiritual priorities that can be measured and monitored.
We are Kingdom people who ought to have Kingdom goals that are bigger than this world!
*2.
**Setting Goals Enables Positive Results, not Regrets.**
*
When you hear a message like this chances are many of you begin to experience a certain measure of discomfort, maybe even guilt.
You feel badly that you have set personal goals before only to fail to ever reach them.
But if you don’t have a plan, if you don’t set goals, you are left with good intentions, remorse and regret.
Year after year can go by without ever accomplishing what you only dream about.
It’s amazing how many people have a problem in a certain area of life but are unwilling to come up with a plan to change.
You can spend your life regretting things you never achieved or you can start setting goals that challenge you to step across that line.
*3.
**Goals are a Tool for Character Building.**
*
Setting goals is one of the most effective character building tools that God has gifted you with.
Setting goals teaches you discipline through delayed gratification.
Setting goals challenges us to achieve beyond ourselves.
*4. **Goals are evidence that you are serious about your God-given Responsibilities.**
*
This is probably the most important reason to set goals.
Too many people today have bought into the belief that it’s okay to live only for today and refuse to accept responsibility for their lives.
For example, as a Father, I understand God has given me the primary responsibility for setting the agenda for my family.
I can either accept this responsibility or recognize the fact that someone else will do it for me.
And I may not like the end results.*
*Kind of like the man who ran into a drug store and asked the pharmacist if he had something to cure the hiccups.
The pharmacist quickly filled a glass of water and threw it in the man's face.
Needless to say the man was startled and somewhat upset.
He said, "what did you do that for?"
The pharmacist replied, "Well, you don't have the hiccups do you?"
"No, but my wife, who’s out in the car still does."
We live in a microwave culture, where instantly, with the flick of a switch, we want results or we want a cure.
And we run here and there trying to find one remedy or another, one magical formula or another.
I'm not going to give you any magical formulas that will magically turn your family into a model home."
I’m simply sharing with you some spiritual goals and some principals that might help all of us to improve our families."
Psalm 127
/1// Unless the Lord builds the house, /
/They labor in vain who build it; /
/Unless the Lord guards the city, /
/The watchman stays awake in vain./
/2// It is vain for you to rise up early, /
/To sit up late, /
/To eat the bread of sorrows; /
/For// so He gives His beloved sleep./
/3// Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, /
/The fruit of the womb is a reward./
/4// Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, /
/So are the children of one’s youth./
/5// Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; /
/They shall not be ashamed, /
/ But shall speak with their enemies in the gate./
We all tend to use the word "family" as if we were always speaking of a father, a mother, and children.
While that may be true for many of us, I want you to know that I am aware that there are many "families" where this is not the case.
We have many single parents today, and I understand there is a unique dynamic involved in single parenting.
There is also the unique dynamic of the "blended family" when a new family is formed from former families.
There are many variations of what is considered the traditional family unit.
Each has a specific set of opportunities and problems.
But whatever the makeup of your family, you will find certain needs are held in common by all.
JOKE: There was a tornado watch in a small town so this mother sent her 5 children off to the relatives in another town for safety.
Shortly there after the children returned with a note from the relatives,"we’re returning your children, please send the tornado instead."
I
'm not going to stand up here and tell you what a terrible mess the family is in although many families today look like a tornado has run through their lives.
I don't want to focus on how dysfunctional the family is today.
I think we are all wanting to be better parents and to really work on our family.
So this morning let’s look at the goals we can develop in our families to make them stronger.
The Family Research Council is a coalition organized to study the strengths of families.
This council is made up of researchers, psychiatrists, psychologists, sociologists, andcongressmen.
They analyzed research on over 3,000 families and identified certain characteristics that were major qualities in strong families.
They tried to look at whatworks, and then use it as a model for the National Family Strengths Council.
The challenging family goals I want to offer this morning come from the strengths that the research determined were characteristics found in strong families.
l.
IMPROVE FAMILY COMMUNICATION.
The first challenging goal for families is to work on communication.
Communication is not just talking to your wife, husband or children, but it is listening to them.
One of the major reasons people go to counselors is to have someone to listen to them.
This doesn't mean that the strong families don't have conflict and arguments and a good fight now and then, but they fight fair.
Family members need to have the abilityto share feelings openly and honestly without fear of rejection, without the fear of someone using what they say to criticize them.
Research shows that the average couple spends 17 minutes per week in communication.
When you think about it, when was the last time you sat down and had a good talk with your wife or husband, something other than please pass the butter, or honey, do I have any clean underwear?
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