If I were to write a book on New Year’s resolutions, kept and unkept, I am afraid the unkept side would overbalance the other and the tower would topple. I am just not that motivated.
Pondering my own inability to follow through on these good intentions, I came up with these provocative thoughts.
Wishful Thinking – Most of my New Year’s resolutions come from a ‘wish list’ and not from any real conviction to change. Set on such a ‘sandy’ foundation, the house is bound to collapse under any kind of pressure.
Good Company – It gives me comfort to know that I am in the company of illustrious people. The great Apostle Paul expresses his personal frustration in Romans 7 when he says: “The things I want to do, I don’t do and the things I don’t want to do, I end up doing.” Even he had trouble with resolutions.
One Day at a Time – Can you hear Cristy Lane wailing out the following words?
“One day at a time, Sweet Jesus, that’s all I’m asking from you.
Give me the strength to do every day what I need to do.”
Whether she knew it or not, Cristy was embracing the counsel of Jesus in the “Sermon on the Mount.” (Matthew 5:6-7) He instructs us to live our lives in ‘one-day’ packages. We simply don’t have the capacity to live successfully if we try to project ourselves into the distant future. Walking with Jesus is a series of chapters, each made up of twenty-four pages opened at the beginning of each new day.
I may not be able to keep resolutions I make with an entire year in mind, but I can keep the ones I made this morning: the ones that will help guide me successfully through this day.
Life Commitments – I have decided that, as a believer, a far better word for me than the word ‘resolve’ is the word ‘commitment.’
Resolutions are usually made from the ‘I hope’ perspective. Commitments are made from the determination of a surrendered will. They must be fueled by a complete passion for the outcome. They must be empowered by the Holy Spirit. They must be our ‘life shapers.’
Commitments are neither prompted by nor altered by, the changing of a date on the calendar. They are part of the ‘warp and woof ‘of a whole life. They represent who we are and what we firmly believe is vital.
Precedents – There are some wonderful precedents in Scripture demonstrating this type of commitment.
Joshua, chosen to succeed Moses as leader of the People of God, makes this declaration in the hearing of all the people: “Choose you this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:14)
David, the busy, harassed, and hounded king of Israel, finds that commitment to the Word of God must be paramount in his life if he is to succeed. So, he makes this statement, “In Your law, I will meditate both day and night.” (Psalm 1:2)
Esther, at the risk of her own life, to save the life of her countrymen, declares: “I will go into the King’s chambers. If I perish, I perish. The commitment to this cause is greater than the preservation of my own life. (Esther 4:16)
Jesus, whose birth we just celebrated, lived His life for the moment of His greatest commitment. Luke records that after His ministry on earth was complete and the time of His death was approaching, Jesus steadfastly ‘set His face’ to go to Jerusalem. (Luke 9:51)
Paul, upon whose writings we base most of our doctrines of soteriology and ecclesiology writes: “Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:13b,14 NLT)
Good Counsel – Make your temporal resolutions if you must on December 31. But don’t place a lot of stock in them. You will only set yourself up for disappointment. Instead, major in keeping the commitments that anchor your life. And live life slow and steady. Eat the elephant ‘one bite at a time.’ Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Inherent in that phrase is the understanding that we must return tomorrow and each subsequent day with the same petition. In this way, we become the ‘overcomers’ which the Word of God promises we will be.
Final Resolution - Whereas, each one of you is my beloved friend, therefore, be it resolved, from my heart, that each of you has a blessed and happy New Year.
Al is an experienced pastor and counselor who works out of our ABNWT District Resource Centre in Edmonton as the Pastoral Care Coordinator. A pastor to the pastors, Al is a friend, mentor, and confidante to all.