Resolutions

Happy New Year!

Today is the first day of 2017 and there is the hope, or rather the promise, that the new year has mercies anew. Last year may have been a rough year, a year you didn't think you would survive, but here you are in another year and with you is the potential to make this year better. Yes, there will always be circumstances outside of our control that can drastically shape our year, but there are also circumstances within our control that can effect our year as well. Typically, today is the day that we reflect on 2016 and make resolutions for 2017, but how many of those resolutions end up accomplished? I believe resolutions have a tendency to fail because they are just good ideas for our lives, rather than will or a plan to succeed. I can have a resolution to lose weight or get into better shape, but that isn't a plan and that resolution isn't motivation on a day when I am tired or not feeling well. The point isn't to bash resolutions, because they are a good place to start, but to begin to think beyond them and begin to achieve lasting results. 

This year I thought it would be interesting and maybe even more motivating if I let someone else pick one of my resolutions for 2017. Who knows you the best? Go to that person and ask them what resolution they think you should make for 2017. This isn't for the faint of heart. Many times people think things about us that we didn't know or thought were hidden features of ourselves. In order for this to work the person needs to be able to be honest with you and that isn't going to be easy. Maybe you are a shy person and your spouse has noticed that your shy attitude has held you back at work and prevented you from achieving what you have been working for your entire career. Your spouse might give you the resolution to talk to more people at work and to share your ideas at meetings. This isn't going to transform you overnight, but you will be reminded that you need to try because your spouse is rooting for you and this is their success too. Or maybe you have a tendency to turn down new experiences and your friend might give you the resolution to try at least one new thing this year. You would then have someone willing to try new things with and 2017 would be a year with new experiences and new memories. I understand that asking someone else for your resolution this year is scary and maybe this is too much for you this year, but I have a few ideas of how to begin to think beyond your resolutions that might be equally effective in allowing you to achieve success.

Resolution #1: Rest and Recharge

Mark 3:7 says, "Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the seas." Jesus, the perfect son of God, needed time to withdraw from society, rest, and recharge. He encouraged His disciples to do the same. The world frowns upon the idea of rest and gives the impression that human beings should be more like robots that work constantly, but even robots need to be recharged. Our electronic devices can only run so long before they have to be plugged in to recharge and other devices require battery changes. There isn't a single person or object in the world that can run continuously without being connected to a power source at some point. This should be a point of comfort for you; it is ok to rest and recharge. This year take time to withdraw, to rest, and to recharge. Draw upon the greatest power source, our Lord and Savior, and move forward into 2017 full of power. 

Resolution action plan: take a trip to the beach, go for a walk in the park, spend a day at home resting

Resolution #2: Your Body The Temple

1 Corinthians 6:19 says, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own." I believe this passage from 1 Corinthians is often misused and used to condemn individuals who are not fit, but a fit body is not an indication it is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Many people, regardless of their fitness level, do not love or care for their bodies. Their bodies bring them shame and self-loathing, but the Bible says that we should think of our bodies as temples. We should love our bodies and take care of their well-being. Would we allow filth to pollute our church? Then in a similar way we should be mindful of what we allow to enter our body. This is more than about food or fitness. The body can be polluted by more than what we eat. Jesus said that what we eat is expelled from us, but what is in our heart stays with us. Taking care of the body begins with loving the body and believing the body to be the temple of the Holy Spirit, whom we have received from God. 

Resolution action plan: eat healthier foods that give your body strength, increase your activity level and strengthen your heart, limit the amount of filth that you allow into your daily life, immerse yourself in Godliness

Resolution #3: Do Unto Others

Matthew 7:12 says, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 7:12 is the Golden Rule for how we should deal with one another. If we want someone to be compassionate towards us when we make a mistake then we ought to be compassionate towards others when they make a mistake too. As much as we are able, we need to treat others with the love, compassion, and mercy that we would want others to give us if the positions were reversed. This is not always easy because there are some things that we wouldn't do and they become unforgivable in our eyes, but Jesus commanded us to love our enemies and to forgive as we would want to be forgiven. Perhaps we can't put ourselves directly in their shoes, but sin is sin in God's eyes and if we would want God to forgive us for our own sin then we need to forgive others of their sin. Treating others with love, compassion, and mercy can be difficult when we think of them in their differences, but Jesus died for all of us and therefore they are God's children with us. No one is apart, but rather we are one in the kingdom of God. 

Resolution action plan: think of others as you would yourself, be kind to one another, forgive easily, show compassion, be merciful

These are just a few Biblical resolutions to start off your new year and I hope that you find the action plans for each helpful in achieving success this year. What are your resolutions for 2017? Do you have any tips for achieving success in resolutions? Leave a comment below and let me know. 

Journey to Bethlehem: An Advent Challenge

Day 11: Read Luke 1:39-45

Mary Visits Elizabeth

Luke 1:39-45 reveals an encounter Mary had with her relative Elizabeth after Mary found out she would become pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Mary, having learned her relative Elizabeth was pregnant although she was very old, rushes to a town in the hills of Judea. Mary greets Elizabeth and at the sound of Mary's voice Elizabeth's unborn child jumps within her. Elizabeth is then filled with the Holy Spirit and proclaims, "God has blessed you more than any other woman, and he has blessed the baby to which you will give birth. Why has this good thing happened to me, that the mother of my Lord come to me? When I heard your voice, the baby inside me jumped with joy. You are blessed because you believed that what the Lord said to you would really happen."

This short passage tells us a lot about Mary and the experience she is going to have. Mary, upon hearing her relative's good news, goes to her relative to celebrate with her. She could have stayed in Nazareth and reveled in her own good news, after all God was going to bless her with her own baby, but instead she chooses to share in her relative's blessing. Mary doesn't tell Elizabeth what the Lord said would happen to her, but instead celebrates her relative. This action shows her humbleness and willingness to let someone else shine brighter. The Holy Spirit fills Elizabeth and it is then that Mary's news is revealed to Elizabeth. Elizabeth's revelation reveals that Mary is going to give birth to the Lord. Previously it was understood that the baby would be a part of God, His son, but this confirms that He will in fact be God. Elizabeth states that Mary is blessed because she believed the Lord when He spoke to her His will for her life. 

From Mary's story we are able to learn three things. First, humbleness is a character trait that God desires. We are human beings, which means that each of us is different in our areas of strengths and weaknesses. This means that no one can really be a better human being, in other words having a reason to hold themselves above others, because no one is perfectly strong in every area of life. Mary had a reason that we just don't have, she was carrying God's son, but she didn't allow that reason to change who she was, a human being. We are not responsible for our success, God is, and for that reason we should be humble about ourselves. Second, Mary heard good news about a relative and went to that relative to celebrate with her. Scripture says that we should rejoice with those who rejoice and be sorrowful with those who are sorrowful. Instead of focusing on herself, Mary chose to think of her relative and express her congratulations in person. Third, the Lord blesses us when we believe what He has said. Mary believed the Lord when He said she would become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and as a result He blessed her. The news Mary was given was not something that was easy to believe and yet she trusted in the Lord to such a degree that she believed something that was unbelievable. 

Journey to Bethlehem: An Advent Challenge

Day 6: Luke 1:11-17

Zechariah and Elizabeth

Luke 1:11-17 continues the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Zechariah was at this time serving in the temple, he was selected by throwing lots to burn incense for God, and it is here that an angel appears to him. He is afraid, but the angel tells him not to be afraid that God has heard his prayer. God has heard Zechariah's prayer and He is going to give them a son. The angel tells Zechariah that he will name his son John. John will bring his parents joy and make many people happy. He will be a great man for the Lord. John will never drink alcohol and even from birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will help many people return to the Lord and he will go forward in the spirit of the Lord to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord.

John was not just the answer to his parents' prayers, but the person a God had chosen to prepare His people for His coming. Before John was born God had a plan for him. He knew his personality, he knew his faithfulness to abstain from alcohol, and he knew what John's life would mean to other people. John would bring happiness and restoration. God knew all of this before John was even born and He revealed this plan to his parents. God had heard their prayers and was going to bless them beyond their dreams. In this passage of Luke, God has revealed to Zechariah that He had a plan that far surpassed Zechariah's. 

The life of John stood out from others because he was filled with the spirit of the Lord and he abstained from activities that would dilute the spirit in him. Since John stood out from others, he was able to guide people back to the Lord and make people happy. The story of John the Baptist is helpful for modern day Christians because we too have been set apart. Like John we have the potential to guide people to the Lord and to prepare them for the coming of the Lord. That is going to look different for each of us, but God has set us apart. An angel might not have told our parents that their prayers were going to be answered, but God still knew His purpose for our lives and the personality we would have. This December, remember we are each called like John to prepare the way for Jesus. In just a few weeks we will be celebrating the birth of Jesus. What better gift could we give to Him than to bring Him another lost person?

Expectations

Expectations fill our lives and often lead to disappointment. Our expectations range from other people's behaviors to anticipated dates or events and finally to God's will for our lives. Today my expectations weren't met and in some instances this was a good thing. For instance, I had this expectation a parent would show up for their child's performance and then I had the expectation the parent wouldn't show, this was based on their statement alone. In this last expectation, I was challenged to comfort the child, who was distraught, not knowing what to say and then my expectations weren't met: the parent showed up and was there for the child.

Then there was the desire for an invitation and the expectation it would be met. After all, I followed the same procedure I had done the last two days. Yet, that expectation wasn't met. Instead I slept, exhausted, and unmet expectations didn't seem so disappointing. Then there are the new expectations we form when old expectations aren't met or aren't met in the way we had hoped. These new expectations have the same pitfalls as the old expectations: no matter how much we know we can never know everything and our expectations are flawed. Shakespeare once wrote, "Expectation is the root of all heartache." Shakespeare is right, expectation leads to heartache, and reveals more about us than anything else. When you release expectations, you are free to enjoy things for what they are instead of what you think they should be.

Today, and in life, what messes me up the most is the picture in my head of how it is supposed to be, how I would do it, or what I desire the most. God loves us and only wants what is best for us, which can either mean trials or blessings. Wrong motives, selfish expectations, are sinful and will not be met (Proverbs 10:28, Proverbs 11:7). While right motives, expectations thought of in the Holy Spirit, can be amazing (Philippians 3:20-21, Philippians 1:20-21). Our expectations should be on God's truth for God never disappoints, His truth is always there for us.