Contemplating Resolutions
Because we are so driven by time, we really can’t help but reflect on the past year, especially when we are about to turn the calendar. 2020 – Does this even seem possible? Another decade has been completed and we press on to the next. Time is moving on and as the years go by it seems to be speeding up for those of us who are playing the back nine.
While it is a regularly accepted practice to make New Year’s resolutions, my question for you today is more about the process by which you come to your decision. Maybe you have no plan to make any resolutions. Maybe you haven’t thought about any of that yet. But maybe you are thinking about it and if this is the case then perhaps the next few paragraphs will be beneficial.
When we look at the Biblical record we can see that there have been many in the past who decided to make some changes in their life and be accountable to God about it. Jacob resolved to pay tithes of everything to Jehovah. David resolved to meditate daily on God’s word. Daniel resolved to keep himself pure by what he allowed to enter his body. Zacchaeus resolved to give half of his goods to the poor and to restore fourfold to anyone he had defrauded. Paul resolved to leave Judaism and practice Christianity.
In order for these decisions to be made by these individuals there had to be thoughts and emotions that influenced their changes. First, there were feelings of guilt. Second, there was something associated with their failures that might have been sinful by either omission or commission. Third, there was an obvious solution to these people that they thought would rectify their current behavior. When we make resolutions we are also making realizations that we need to pattern our practices and behavior differently and be dedicated to the change.
Now while we are going about making changes, it makes sense to me to recognize that the only resolutions that really matter are decisions we make that will directly affect our personal relationship with God. While something like going on a diet might aid in our overall physical health, a better decision would be to make sure we were getting a steady diet of Scripture and devoting ourselves to more time in prayer to God. While deciding to watch less TV might or putting our phones away will make us less like zombies and more like humans, what we fill that extra time with is just as important as leaving the other practice behind.
So the important questions for you as you are contemplating your resolution(s) are these: Is this New Year’s resolution going to improve my spiritual health? If so, how? Who is going to keep me accountable? What is my motivation behind this decision – Is it love for God or just guilt for past behavior?
It is natural for the initial motivations driving our resolution to be guilt. But the only thing that will sustain the change is a heart that loves God and is thankful for the cross of Christ. Don’t just resolve to change your behavior. Remember who loves you and who is worthy of the very best you have to offer because of what He gave for you. May God be with you as you attempt to draw closer to Him in 2020!
“And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, ‘Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments.’” – Genesis 35:2
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AUTHOR: Jeremiah Tatum
