NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS.

January 29, 2008


Most of us are all too familiar with New Year’s resolutions.
Good intentions, determination are all there, but the staying will power usually turns out to be lacking.

I read an article written by a pastor from Red Deer Alberta about Christian disciplines,
such as spending time to read the Bible, communicate with God in prayer, fellowship with other believers, etc.
I can relate to these disciplines and New Year’s resolutions in my own life.
I’m sure many of us have had similar experiences.
This though, is not the issue I would like to address.
No, I cannot help you with a sure fire method to increase will power.

As I was reading the aforementioned article, I became aware that in previous writings I may have left the impression that I advocate something that could be called “lazy grace”.
All a person needs to do is to say “yes” to Jesus, attend church and you are assured to someday go to heaven.
While that is true basically, that is not at all the intent of the Gospel.
Luke 2:52 states that Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and the Scriptures make it very clear that God would have believers grow in wisdom, knowledge and grace in the Lord Jesus Christ as well.

No one becomes spiritually mature in a day or two.
Yes, God promised us that the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth, John 16:13.
The part we need to play is to present ourselves a living sacrifice……to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, so that we may learn the will of God concerning ourselves. Rom.12:1, 2. Our thought patterns need to change from what the Bible calls carnal (earthly) thinking to spiritual thought patterns.
II Timothy 3:16 reads this way in the Amplified Bible:
“Every Scripture is God-breathed – given by His inspiration – and profitable for instruction, for reproof and for conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, and for training in righteousness (that is holy living in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose and action).
So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well-fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work”.
In order to become all this we first need the enlightenment and revelation of the Holy Spirit and our consistently making ourselves available to Him (living sacrifice) by reading, study, meditation, prayer, fellowshipping, etc.

Many of us have experienced failed efforts at consistent Bible reading and study.
(Unless we were made to do it at Bible College.)
Do not despair at those failed efforts.
It teaches us that we need more than will power to be consistent.
And more than prayers for God’s help for more of that will power.
That “more” is to ask God to create IN us a hunger for Him and for His Word.
He will give it to us, that is His promise in Luke 11:13……how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him.
Or John 16:23 …Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, He will give it to you.
The “whatsoever” always has to do with LIFE, LIFE that is IN Jesus. That is why the Father sacrificed His only begotten Son, to bring LIFE where only death existed, that we might be partakers of that LIFE.
It cost our Father the sacrifice of His Son to make this LIFE available to us, would He then not give it in abundance to those of us who ask Him ?
For this LIFE goes far beyond forgiveness of sins and going to heaven someday.

In the meantime, we ought to continue our (feeble) efforts at practicing these Christian disciplines, seek friends of like mind and be conscious of any spiritual growth opportunities that come our way.
By way of illustration, may I share some of my personal journey.

That journey began by being so privileged to be born to believing parents who taught me in the way of the Lord, although that is not essential to grow spiritually.
At age 38 I felt that I was such a failure at being a Christian that I was ready to give up.
I turned to God and admitted my failings and allowed for Him, that if He saw any potential in me, would He then prepare me for whatever that might be.
That is now more than 30 years ago. Shortly after that our (my wife and I) search for truth began.
Someone introduced us to the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship. I was a member for 15 years. It truly was a spiritual banquet, we could not get enough.
Someone told us about a weeklong seminar about the origin and resolving of basic youth conflicts. So for a whole week we traveled every afternoon from Simcoe to the Coliseum Building in Toronto.
For almost 2 years we traveled every Monday night from Simcoe to Kitchener.
We bought and read books, listened to tapes at home or when we traveled.
We went out of our way to attend meetings where we listened to speakers of whom we already knew that they shared words of LIFE.
We were taught by godly people who were Chr. Reformed, others were Baptist, Pentecostal, Roman Catholic, Anglican, United Church, etc.
Does growing spiritually take effort and self-discipline? It sure does.
Were there dormant times? Certainly.
But even nature is dormant in winter, it does not mean there is no life.

All resolutions (New Year’s included) that concern our spiritual wellbeing and are dependent on our will power and stamina only, are bound to meet with failure.
Those of us who from a pure heart ask God to create in us a hunger for Him and His Word, prepare yourselves for an adventurous and exciting journey.
And do expect affliction, God’s reason for that is explained in Ps. 119:71. It is His desire for each one of us that righteousness, peace and joy would be an experiential reality all the days of our lives.

St. Thomas, Jan.’08.