“I Hereby Resolve…”
With 2020 drawing to an end, are you among those who just want to heave a sigh of relief and say, “Good riddance” to a tough year?
Is it your fervent prayer that 2021 will be better? If so, doubtless you are in the majority.
Here’s a question: what is your gauge for measuring “better?”
Answers readily come to mind:
“The coronavirus (with all its strains) will be defeated.”
“The economy will recover; my job situation will improve.”
“We’ll see an end to political rancor and an increase in kindness (or at least civility).”
“Things will return to ‘normal’; lockdowns, social distancing, and mask-wearing will end.”
Not a bad “wish list” for the new year! But apart from taking responsibility for our own actions and attitudes regarding the conditions listed above, we have negligible control over improving them.
So, where can I personally improve to make 2021 better?
Now we are pointed toward familiar areas typically addressed by New Year’s resolutions:
lose weight/exercise more
be a better spouse/parent/friend
get out of debt
start saving for retirement/make a will, etc.
Those aspirations are much more within our control. But the track record for keeping such resolves is pretty spotty: only 25% of New Year’s resolutions last a month; 8% are kept until fulfilled.[1]
Beyond our “I really should…” good intentions, Scripture is full of exhortations to spur us on as followers of Messiah Jesus. But we do well to remember from the outset Yeshua’s admonition, “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
To illustrate, who can perfectly obey God’s two central commands: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-38)?
Much less, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you?” (Matthew 5:44). In our flesh, who even wants to do that? And isn’t that the crux of our “Romans 7 struggle” – the flesh warring against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh?
It is in light of that reality, I believe, that the oft-quoted “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) should be understood. “Through Him who strengthens” should far outshine the “I can” in our assessment of our abilities. And we are helped immensely when our “in Christ”[2] identity is the basis for our sense of self.
Rather than “I will try harder to do better” resolutions for self-improvement in 2021, how much better to pursue God’s design for us. The goal of our Creator (who from the first formed man in His image) is that we be made more like Jesus (Romans 8:29).
We understand it is God, by His Spirit, who is at work in us “both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). Only He can change us from the inside, reorienting us from our selfish desires (comfort, pleasure, security, promotion) to that of seeking first His kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33).
What would it look like if my 2021 resolutions aligned with God’s purpose for my life?
Here are some examples, all beginning with “God enabling me, I resolve to…”:
Trust in the Lord with all my heart and not depend on my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Be transformed by the renewing of my mind (Romans 12:2) as I focus on eternal priorities (Colossians 3:2).
Fix my eyes on Jesus, the source and completer of my faith (Hebrews 12:2).
Walk in the Spirit and thus not fulfill the desires of my flesh (Galatians 5:16).
Look forward to Jesus’ glorious return (Titus 2:13) and the too-wonderful-to-imagine future awaiting those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Give thanks in everything – regardless of what the new year brings (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
In our family gatherings over the holidays, we took time to reflect on the blessings of 2020. Yes, it was a difficult year on many fronts. But we had so much for which to thank the Lord, including His presence and enablement during the tough times.
Who knows what is in store for us in the year ahead? Thankfully, God does! And He promises His grace will be sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9) – for every trial and temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13).
“God designs what we go through; we decide how we will go through it.”
Written by Wes Taber, LIFE Global Ambassador
A “Happy New Year” should not depend on our circumstances, but on our response to His over-arching plan for our lives.
God’s purposes are always good. We do well to remember His desire is to make us more like His Son. And the work of sanctification more readily happens in the furnace of affliction than on beds of ease.
What work do you desire God to do in you in the year ahead? Will you actively submit to His sovereign hand in that process?
With the guidance and empowering of His indwelling Spirit, what would the Lord have you resolve to do in 2021?
The LIFE IN MESSIAH family wishes you a God-blessed 2021! May we each “look more like Jesus” in the year ahead as we humbly yield to the loving hand of the Potter who shapes us (Romans 9:20-21).
Footnotes:
[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashiraprossack1/2018/12/31/goals-not-resolutions/?sh=77068eeb3879.
[2] “In Christ” makes a rich word study. E.g., just in Romans we find “in Messiah”: our redemption (3:24); present life (6:11); eternal life (6:23); release from condemnation (8:1); freedom from the law of sin and death (8:2); the love of God (8:39); and that believers are made “one body” (9:5).