During Biblical times, in ancient near eastern cultures, the calendar was controlled by the beginning of the reign of a king. People would date their lives by which king was ruling. For example, in the book of Daniel, the Bible reads: "In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters..." The beginning of the king's rule was used as a time marker for this passage of Scripture. 

When President Obama was elected in 2008, we encouraged you to see his historic election as a time marker in your own life whether you voted for him or not. Just as President Obama would strive to accomplish certain things in his term as president, we encouraged you to set goals to accomplish certain things within those four years as well. It is our prayer and hope that you did just that and that you can look back on the past four years with a sense of accomplishment and gratitude for what God has allowed you to do. 

Well, as President Obama begins his second term in January 2013, we want to encourage you to do the same thing we encouraged you to do four years ago: set goals and strive to accomplish big things within the next four years. One of the reasons why we have chosen to write this article is because, obviously, at least half the nation did not choose President Obama, including many Christians, both black and white. But instead of "mourning," "grieving," licking your wounds, looking sad and pitiful, or if you are on the other side, rejoicing, high-fiving others, and celebrating, we want to encourage you to use President Obama's next four years as a time marker to do great things with your own life. And don't forget the first 100 days that presidents like to use to get off to a running start. Don't concern yourself with his agenda because you can't do anything about that. Create your own agenda for the first 100 days and then for the entire four years! You are living a very sad existence if your life is consumed with who won the presidency. In reality, the person in the White House does not impact most people's lives that much anyway. In America, if you want to, with God's blessings, you can have the best four years of your life, even under this President.

Below are some ideas for goals that you can set for the next four years:

• If you're weak in prayer, learn to pray at least 3 times a day
• Read the Bible all the way through four times
• Go on several short-term mission trips
• Start an online business
• Go back to college and get your degree or get a second degree
• Write that book you always said you wanted to write
• Personally witness to one thousand people for Christ (250 a year)
• Walk 1 hour on the treadmill everyday for four years straight (and don't stroll, walk!)
• Do whatever it takes to get out of debt
• Begin to love and appreciate your family anew and build stronger relationships with family members
• Visit another country for several months, learn about its culture and/or learn its language
• Plan to run for the presidency yourself if God is leading you to do that or for some other public office
• If you are married, instead of having sex once a week, have sex 4 to 5 times a week
• If you know it is God's will for you to get married, put your name in the hat on ChristianMingle.com, and do so in the next four years
• Set a goal not to get a divorce (Yes, I am talking to Christians)
• Set a goal not to cuss at your teenagers (Yes, I am talking to Christians)
• If you're married and you have a girlfriend, let her go (Yes, I am talking to Christians and you know who you are)
• If you're married and you have a boyfriend, let him go (Yes, I am talking to Christians and you know who you are)
• If you're in a career that you're not passionate about, get into a career that you are passionate about
• Plant a survival garden (because you're probably going to need it)
• Forget the prosperity Gospel and downsize your life
• Stock up on dry goods and canned goods (because you're probably going to need them)
• Invest in gold and silver
• Have another child or two (if you can)
• Clean all the junk out of your house
• If you're over 50, go vegetarian

These are just a few suggestions, I am sure that you can think of more.

Now, no matter which side of the political divide you are on, and no matter whether you voted for the president or not, use this time to accomplish great things for the glory of God, for others, for your family, and for yourself so that at the end of these four years, if the Lord should tarry His coming, and at the end of your life, you can say that you wisely used the time that God gave you. James 4:14 says, "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."