‘Tis the season to be planning! A new year is dawning and for many people this is the golden moment for a fresh start, new aspirations, and grand goals for 2021. Many Americans will write out resolutions focused on wealth, comfort, enjoyment, and status.

To those ambitious souls, Jesus offers some riveting and very countercultural words:

But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets (Luke 6:24-26).

This passage is Dr. Luke’s version of the famous Sermon on the Mount. After teaching powerfully on the real truths of a blessed and joyful life (which should actually shape our aspirations – see Luke 6:20-23), Jesus paints a contrasting picture of those who pursue various dead-end roads to real meaning and true fulfillment.

Woe is Me?

Jesus uses the word “woe” four times in rapid succession. While not commonly used today, the word really communicates a warning about serious affliction or misfortune. The phrase is translated, “How terrible for you” (NIV) and “What sorrows await you” (NLT).

This is not a happy scenario and gives a serious warning from the wisest One to ever walk the earth. Jesus is really dealing with motivation – the things that drive us. He is also teaching about the issue of reward – the things that ultimately delight us, both now and in eternity. So, here is a necessary reality check as we set our course for 2021.

#1 Goal to Avoid: A Materialistic Lifestyle 

We all need money to live in this world. Money is not wrong. It is the love of money that can poison the soul (1 Timothy 6:10). The obsession with “more” – more investments, more possessions,  more luxury items – gradually inverts one’s values and perspective on real meaning in life. We can become like a thirsty man drinking salt water. The more we drink, the more thirsty we become and the more destructive the result.

The obsession with “more” – more investments, more possessions,  more luxury items – gradually inverts one’s values and perspective on real meaning in life. We can become like a thirsty man drinking salt water. The more we drink, the more thirsty we become and the more destructive the result.

Jesus’ exact warning on this point is that those driven to be rich have received their “consolation.” In other words, we can become so focused on the temporal reward of the things money can buy that we lose our passion for using money to invest in eternity. It happens slowly, but it happens. Research tells us that most Christians give a smaller percentage of their incomes to kingdom purposes as they make more money. They begin to judge their giving by the “amount” rather than by the level of sacrifice and obedience. Jesus says “woe.” In truth, most truly wealthy believers could live on 10% of their income and give the rest to Christ’s work. What great reward would await them in eternity.

Research tells us that most Christians give a smaller percentage of their incomes to kingdom purposes as they make more money. They begin to judge their giving by the “amount” rather than by the level of sacrifice and obedience. Jesus says “woe.”

#2 Goal to Avoid: A Comfortable Lifestyle

Next, Jesus warns, “Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger.” This is a warning to those who are motivated by comfort in pursuit of an easy, “satisfying” life. The Lord has reminded me many times over the years that “the comfort zone is the danger zone.” Jesus’ warning is that if you go for the comfortable life here on earth, you will come up short in eternity.

A comfortable life is seldom a life of real faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Paul’s singular ambition in life was to please God (2 Corinthians 5:9). With that objective, he always pursued an authentic faith that brought trials, persecution, and many forms of suffering (Read 2 Corinthians 11:23-28). I have observed that Paul always “pursued the pathway of price.” At the end of his life, he wrote of his great and sure reward for an obedient, costly faith that produced fruitful, eternal impact (2 Timothy 4:8). Choose your goals carefully.

Jesus’ warning is that if you go for the comfortable life here on earth, you will come up short in eternity. A comfortable life is seldom a life of real faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

#3 Goal to Avoid: An Entertained Lifestyle 

In a society obsessed with entertainment, these are not easy words. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.” Ours is the day of a plethora of high-tech video games, on-demand movies, hundreds of television channels, countless smart phone applications, and a growing list of recreational options. Certainly there is a place for rest, leisure, and recreation. Yet, wisdom prevails for the serious Christ-follower: “all things in moderation.”

Certainly there is a place for rest, leisure, and recreation. Yet, wisdom prevails for the serious Christ-follower: “all things in moderation.”

Neil Postman’s landmark book, written in the mid-eighties, spoke with prophetic clarity as he extrapolated on the many ways in which we are “amusing ourselves to death.” Think of the massive amounts of time Christians spend frittering their lives away in meaningless entertainment. Think of how the world might be different if we invested a significant portion of that time in serving others in Jesus’ name. Think of how a “woe” could be turned into a “well done” if we could break free from what Tozer called “the great god of Entertainment.”

Think of the massive amounts of time Christians spend frittering their lives away in meaningless entertainment. Think of how the world might be different if we invested a significant portion of that time in serving others in Jesus’ name.

#4 Goal to Avoid: A Popular Lifestyle

To some degree, everyone wants to be liked by others. The easiest path to this goal is to always speak, act, and live in a way that makes other people feel good about themselves. This usually involves compromise of the truth. Paul warned that these last days would be a time when people with “itching ears” will flock to those who tell them what they want to hear, not what they need to hear. Knowing this, Jesus warns,  “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”

While we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, the necessity of our life and message is not eagerly received by a secular culture. Jesus had just warned that we would be hated, excluded, reviled, and considered as evil because of our commitment to the truth of Christ (v. 22). Paul declared that our commitment to embrace and live the truth of the gospel causes us to “commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:2). This can make unbelievers uneasy, even hostile, and can produce antagonism and unpopularity. When we live to please men now, we will ultimately miss God’s pleasure in eternity. When we stand for Christ now, we will bow fully-rewarded in His presence in eternity. Here is clear guidance for a new year’s resolution.

When we live to please men now, we will ultimately miss God’s pleasure in eternity. When we stand for Christ now, we will bow fully-rewarded in His presence in eternity. Here is clear guidance for a new year’s resolution.

A New Resolve

With this transition to a new calendar year, we can seek spiritual empowerment for a renewed commitment to live differently, wisely, and for the only real reward and satisfaction that matters. Certainly we can set goals, but we must seek His glory and our highest and lasting good as we do so. With this in mind, I pray you will have a truly happy and holy new year.

If you want to set biblical goals on the basis of a clear theology, secure identity, and biblical purpose, you need to check out one of the Deeper Life Experiences. Based on the book The Deeper Life, our training options now include a 30-day coaching experience, a women’s book study, and a brand new 21-day mini course. Don’t miss these opportunities to transform the trajectory of your life in 2021. 

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Copyright © 2020 Daniel Henderson. All rights reserved.