Scott Stephens is the founder and director of Covenant Counseling Center, and the counseling pastor at West End Baptist Church’s West End Counseling Center.
Scott serves as the executive director of the Upcountry Biblical Counseling Training Center. Scott earned his MA in Biblical Counseling at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and his PhD in Biblical Counseling at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Scott is an Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) certified biblical counselor with a specialization in marriage and family counseling. Scott is currently a “Fellow Candidate” with ACBC.
I believe the New Year is a time to “start anew.” During December, I’m always introspective, thinking about my accomplishments and failures, hoping to come up with new goals to help me have a better upcoming year.
Goals help me stay focused on the things I believe are important. I consistently write down daily activities that need to be accomplished. However, this year of planning has been challenging because I’ve made too many commitments.
All of my commitments have value in one way or another, but recently, the Lord has laid on my heart that I need to focus on things that have eternal value. When I evaluate my activities with this priority, I see some areas that, although they may be good, don’t meet that criteria.
As Christians, the best use of our time is doing things that glorify God and point others to His goodness. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.” I wholeheartedly believe this is the foundation from which we are to determine our daily activities.
What does it mean to seek His righteousness? It means that we are to live a life that is pleasing to God. 1 Peter 1:15 explains, “But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.” Living a holy life pleasing to God must be our primary concern and top priority. All of our plans and goals must be centered on this. Our daily activities must have a central focus on doing things that are pleasing to God. We do this by praying for His guidance and reading His Word as we make decisions. Proverbs 16:3 explains that we are to commit our work to the Lord so that our plans will be established.
God’s Word teaches us how to live a life in pursuit of holiness, how to have fellowship with Him, and how to love and care for one another with a common purpose. Sadly, while we are in this world, we will never be completely free from sin. Our sanctification will never be completed during our lifetime. But remember, God calls for us to be holy, as He is holy. He tells us to strive for holiness every day (Romans 12:12).
So, what is the goal that truly matters? What is the foundation of all the goals we should have? Love God and glorify Him by seeking holiness in all you think, say, and do.
Including the Lord in my planning is essential to my physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Goals without God’s guidance can be confusing and futile (Ecclesiastes 2:11; Psalm 94:11). By setting our minds on what is truly important, God will guide us to live a life that increasingly has purpose and meaning. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
