I have been thinking a lot lately about how every choice or decision I make moves me either closer to or away from God.  There is no neutral move.  Kind of like the game of chess, every move is strategic with one goal in mind: to get the king piece on the opponent’s side.  The path to “checkmate” is packed with strategic moves, all to support this one goal.

My one goal is to know and experience the love of Jesus and to know Him – not just about Him.  It is also to honor and worship Him with my life and all that entails (spirit, soul, body).  Making strategic moves to reach your goal can apply to many areas of life (i.e. addictions, anger, people-pleasing, pride).  As an example, I have struggled with food and my weight most of my life.  Food is one of those addictions that is not so “cut and dry” because you have to eat to live.  I have been meditating on the idea that every time I eat a piece of food, my choice will either honor God in my body and bring health and life to me or it will not honor God in my body and it will lead to being unhealthy.  To reach my goal of worshipping God in my body requires that I make healthy choices each time I eat.  It is baby steps.  Just like chess is made up of many small moves to reach the ultimate goal, my goal requires the same.  Rarely is a goal achieved with one huge step/move.  Not only is strategy involved, but planning is involved.  I find I am most successful in the area of losing weight and eating right when I plan ahead and I strategically eat certain amounts of protein, carbs, and fats.

On a much broader scale, when we look at life, I have learned this.  God is  in control of every minute detail of my life and every single thing that happens today is a strategic move on His part for His glory and my ultimate good.  It is to this end that He allows or doesn’t allow things to happen in my life.  It is all for His glory!  That is His goal for my life.  The enemy will have his own strategic moves, but God will always beat him to “checkmate.”

One of my favorite quotes is from John Piper: God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him.

What goals does this make you think of?  Do you see similarities in this analogy in your own life?