Resolve This Day…!
It’s time for the ‘ol New Year’s Resolution thang!
It’s that time of year lots of folks try and jump start something good, or maybe curtail something unhealthy in their life, right? Even for people who know better than to hinge all their hopes on the new year to break old habits and begin anew are at least tempted to “ramp it up a bit”! Sure, it’s a good “punctuation point” of sorts. A fresh start. Why not, after all? Any excuse to turn over a new leaf is good to take advantage of, right?
But, regardless of what time of year it is, there’s a secret behind why your typical New Year’s Resolution really sticks in so few cases-about 25%… MAX!
The secret? Most resolutions are motivated by a “NO!” The Bible, the Owner’s Manual for a Human Being, tells us in Romans 7 and elsewhere that when “NO!” is the motivation for stopping or starting ANYTHING it’s actually a stimulus for the fallen heart within EveryMan (Genesis 3) to want to do just the opposite! Or, at the very least, a “NO!” provides the absolute minimum of motivation to either STOP a negative behavior or START a positive behavior. The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart. And, as The Good Book sorts it out, it’s called “the law promotes sin”.
“NO!” to being over weight? “NO!” to being unkempt? “NO!” to being out of shape? “NO!” to over-embibing? “NO!” to being a procrastinator? “NO!” to having your neighbors as strangers? “NO!” to spending so little time with God in His Bible? “NO!” to saying yes to every request of your time, talent, or treasure? “NO!” to seeing so little of close friends? “NO!” to wasting time watching the tube (that’s what TV’s used to be made of)?
The Better… the Only… Way to Grow a Resolute and Joy-Full Life
Getting to one’s “DEEPER YES!” involves the arduous yet incredibly rewarding journey of self-awareness and creating a destiny that we’ve chewed on before at the Training Table: It’s about the right way to get to know our story and ourselves at a much deeper level and then create a Vision, Mission, Core Values, Roadmap, and Continuous Improvement Plan for our life. This journey (and that’s what it is…) is the only thing that will FREE us to say “YES!” to the very most important, good, and few things. And “NO!” to the mostly unimportant, unhealthy, and many life-wasting things.
Devoid of a “DEEPER YES!”, all of our “NO’s!” (as the primary source of motivation) will amount to little more than a life of self- and other-condemning regrets, mostly joyless and shallow increments of gain, and potentially a course in heart-hardening that foments more and more bitterness over time.
A Benchmark Example: Jonathan Edwards’ Story of “Resolve this day…”
Jonathan Edwards’ story prior to his penning “The Resolutions” is one of a deeper and deeper commitment to his faith. But, as an outgrowth of Edwards’ “DEEPER YES!”, for the sole mission of fulfilling God’s purpose for his life to AWAKEN a sleeping and confused Western church, Edwards plumbed deeply… with his “DEEPER YES!”… once again: He wrote a list of resolutions which stand today as some of the most devout, deep, and directly sanctifying Christian resolves one could imagine,
Following is just a sample. Please consider using the www link below to access the full list of Edwards’ Resolutions.
Please consider, as you move into the next stage of your spiritual journey, taking all of these outstanding resolutions and using them as part of your early morning meditation time.
Please track through them by using your Bible to access the appropriate passages that underpin each Resolution. Please dwell deeply on how The Holy Spirit and your Community Bible Group can help your grow in your faith, resolve, and life-changing impact on the world!
1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’ s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.
2. Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find out some new contrivance and invention to promote the aforementioned things.
3. Resolved, if ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.
https://www.biblebb.com/files/edwards/resolutions.htm
May God richly bless your RESOLVE… your whole hearted RESOLVE… to KNOW God and your purposes under Him; GROW in faith, truth, and urgency; and SOW more and more seeds of God’s Bible love and truth wherever He might plant you!
Until we gather ’round the Training Table again to chow on, “The Necessity of Community in Growing One’s Immunities”.
Offered in Love and Truth-For Reformation, Revival, and Constructive Revolution,
JohnDoz
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