Starting Something New?

Are you starting something new?

• Leaving home?
• New school?
• New job?
• New relationship?
• New church?

The Bible offers this advice (among much more):

Ecclesiastes 7:8: “The end of a thing is better than its beginning.” This means that one should give careful consideration to any proposed project so the outcome will be good.  Have a clear idea of what you want to achieve in the end before you start anything new. Set a clear goal first. Imagine what it will look like and the steps needed to get there, and only then start to work toward it.

Isaiah 46:10: God declares “the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done.” This is partly about prophecies in the Bible, but it also means God can see in advance the end results of decisions we make. That’s why the Bible gives practical advice on making wise decisions in most areas of life.Follow His advice and you get a head start toward your chosen destination. Ignore His advice and you start the road trip without a map, GPS or even a destination street address.

Proverbs 4:26-27: “Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil.” In general, this means we should live honestly and with integrity. But it also applies toachieving good results at school, on the job, in your relationships and in your church. Once you’ve set your goals and started toward them, do a progress checkeach week or month to make sure you’re still on task, still progressing, and are not distracted by anything that would prevent you from achieving the results you want.

Matthew 6:33: Jesus tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” If we have right spiritual values and goals, God says He’ll make a lot of other things in life work out well for us. The “things” He promises are all our material needs (needs—not wants). Knowing that truth gives us confidence and peace as we work toward our goals.