A lot of people make resolutions at the beginning of the
New Year. Some don’t because they’ve never been successful. Weather you make
them or not is up to personal preference, the bible is silent on the practice.
I was listening to the Dennis Prager Show this past week
and he was talking about this. He is in favor of doing it, because it gives you
a goal, something to strive for, a bar to rise up to. After thinking about it,
I believe he may be right. It doesn’t matter if you succeed one hundred percent.
What matters is a good honest effort.
We all fail in life, but we must dust ourselves off and
continue. We can’t refuse to commit to something because we are afraid of
failing. The race is never finished if we refuse to take the first step. So it
is with becoming a Christian.
We resolve to never sin again, but we fall short. We say
we will trust in Christ, but forget who to turn to when the devil attacks. We
proclaim to put the Lord first in our lives, but often push Him to the rear of
the line when it’s something we want to do.
Yes, we resolve to be a good and faithful follower, and
then we don’t even pick up His Word to see what it is He wants. Christ knew all
of this from the beginning. He knew our fleshly selves will get in the way of
holiness and perfection. So he gave us His resolution. He promised to forgive
us and to shed His blood instead of ours for our redemption. His resolution was
to save us from ourselves, and he finished it on the cross.
See, Jesus Christ became the Messiah
in the flesh. To those who believe in Him, and confess it with their mouth, He
makes them a new creature, a new man. (Romans Chapter 10 and 2 Corinthians
5:17) We have Christ to hold us up through our failures and forgiveness if we
would only sincerely seek it.
Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought a good fight, I have finished
my course, I have kept the faith.” Paul
never said he didn’t get bruised and bloodied in the fight, he did! He said he
finished “his” course, not someone else’s. We each have our course the Lord
gives to accomplish His will. And he kept the faith through it all. That’s all
God wants from us; just keep believing Him in whatever position He places us
in. The main goal is to FINISH, there is no first or last place.
So if you want, go ahead and make
that New Year’s resolution. Just do your best and do not beat yourself up
because you will fail at times. And while you’re at it, give God the thanks and
worship He is due for the blessings past, present and future. It is the course
and the finish that is important, not the hills and valleys along the way. May
God Bess you richly this year.
