Life goals (Hosea 9)

Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, “If you want to lead a happy life, tie it in to a goal, not to people or things.” I’m not sure how consistent this is with the teaching of Jesus.

But one of his eminent followers, the apostle Paul - who was very much tied in with people, though not so much with things - echoes something of Einstein’s words when he tells us about his life: “One thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal, to win the prize for which God has called me” (Philippians 3:14). Even Jesus himself, when advised to change his life strategy, sent this message to his enemies: “Today and tomorrow I will drive out demons and heal people, and on the third day I will reach my goal” (Luke 13:32).

With no goals we are in danger of wandering aimlessly. The curse put on Cain after he had murdered his brother was that he would be a restless wanderer on the earth (Genesis 4:12). The same curse is on those unclean spirits which are driven out of a person and condemned to wander in arid places, seeking rest, but not finding it (Matthew 12:43). Without life goals we risk falling into that same kind of restless, fruitless wandering.

So, what are your life goals at this moment in time? To get a better job? To get married? To move to a bigger house or flat? To get a better car? To have children? To pass your exams? To get your children through university? To have enough money for a comfortable retirement? To deepen your relationship with Jesus? To find an an avenue to serve him? To have a sense of purpose in your life? To help other people? To care for a friend or relative who is incapacitated? There are so many possibilities.

In this chapter Hosea gives us an insight into the goals which Israel had in his time - some of these we can identify with today. They wanted plentiful supplies of food and drink (verse 2); they wanted to live comfortably and peacefully in their homeland (verses 3, 13); they wanted a vibrant religious life, with lots of idols (verses 4-5, 10); they wanted nice things, treasures of silver (verse 6); they wanted to have lots of children and happy families (verses 11-12, 16).

The problem for Israel was that none of these things worked out for them. In fact, as Hosea’s words show, they got exactly the opposite of what they were aiming for. Why? Quite simply, he tells them, You have been unfaithful to your God (verse 1). And that unfaithfulness is reflected in hostility (verse 7), in a refusal to accept revelation from God (verse 7), in corruption and wickedness (verse 9) and in rebellion (verse 15) and disobedience (verse 16). The end result is that, like Cain, they are condemned to be wanderers among the nations (verse 17).

When we are planning our life goals, where does God come into them? Are we hesitant to consult him because we fear he might not approve of some of the goals? Do we have that false idea of him, that if there is something that we really want to do, then it is probably not his will for us; and if there is something really unpleasant, then that is quite probably his will?

For many years I had those kind of ideas playing as background music in my head, without ever fully articulating them. I used to read Proverbs 16:9 - In his heart a person plans his course, and the Lord determines his steps - and I thought, What’s the point of planning anything, because the Lord has his ideas anyway? Then, not so very long ago, I got a wonderful revelation, that the Lord was really interested in my plans, and he could not start directing my steps until I had shared my plans with him and we had dialogued together. For me this has been liberating.

Jesus is described several times in the Bible as the cornerstone (Psalm 118:22, Mark 12:10, Acts 4:11). The cornerstone is the part of the building or the bridge that holds everything else together. That is how it works with our life goals. Will we go ahead and plan those goals without involving Jesus, and so risk seeing everything fall apart, like Israel in Hosea’s time? Or will we share our goals with him and allow him to input into them?

Everything holds together in him (Colossians 1:17) - and our life goals will hold together too, if we allow him to be the cornerstone of them.