A mission statement goes a long way towards defining who you really are. Pulling words from thoughts about your values, what drives you, what you are passionate about, you can form a pretty accurate mission statement that defines what you care about, what you strive for, what you are made of.  My mission statement is as follows:

I will inspire my family and others to discover and act on God’s purpose for their lives, through mentoring and adventurous living in compassion and holiness. I will serve as an example of action, reflecting commitment, strength, love for God’s Word, and standing firmly on God’s Truth to defend the defenseless.

Having a mission statement helps you lead a purposed life, but what is purposed living without goals? We are striving for something, but how do we know if we are successful? We need goals. I know I will need to set some more specific goals going forward, but I believe I found my goals this morning. I re-read Matthew 5:1-12. I won’t quote it here, but rather, go read it for yourself. These will be my goals; these will help me measure where I am in my quest called life.

John 15:1-11 says,  “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He ^[a]prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. ³ You are already ^[b]clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴ Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit ^[c]of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. ⁵ I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. ⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so ^[d]prove to be My disciples. ⁹ Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. ¹¹ These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”

This passage is pretty popular and often preached on, but what does it really mean to “abide”? Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary has this for the definition: