Goal setting isn’t just a good idea for productivity. It’s a spiritual discipline, like prayer, fasting, giving, and reading your Bible.

In fact, goal setting can be an act of stewardship as you try to make the most of all God has given you.

You can waste your life. Plenty of people do it! To make the most of your life and invest it in a way that outlasts you, you’ll need goals.

Even God sets goals. The Bible says, “[God] planned to bring all of history to its goal in Christ. Then Christ would be the head of everything in heaven and on earth” (Ephesians 1:10 GW). God didn’t sit around and let the history of the world unfold in a way he found appropriate. He planned history. God has goals for the church. God has goals for every facet of the universe.

History is moving to a climax. There will be a judgment day, when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. History is moving toward that goal—because God planned it that way.

If God plans, then we should too. God wants us to be like him in all facets of our lives, including goal setting. I’ve heard people say, “I’m not going to plan. I’m just going to trust God and go with the flow.”

That’s not spiritual. It’s foolish! You shouldn’t go one more day without making plans for this week, this month, and this year.

The Bible has more than 7,000 promises from God to you — promises of success, confidence, health, prosperity, strength, wisdom, and more. Why does God make these promises?

Because he wants you to learn to trust him.

When you set a goal, don’t focus on the problems; focus on the promises. Find a promise in God’s Word that will take you to your goal.

The size of your God determines the size of your goal. Start making some plans, and trust God to fulfill his promise to bring everything in history—including you—to its goal in Christ.