"This Year I Resolve To...."

“This Year I Resolve To….”  

            Every year around this time, we get revved up with “personal improvement” projects as the dawn of a New Year approaches. And in no time flat, those lofty goals and noble commitments, otherwise known as “resolutions”, evaporate and are forgotten.

            That’s not to say we shouldn’t make resolutions, or have personal goals.  For example, it would be unlikely that your vacation would be much fun if you simply jumped in the car and started driving without first selecting a destination, saving sufficient funds, packing the items  needed for the trip, etc. 

            Too often, however, we set goals for ourselves without any real plan for reaching them. Sometimes the goals themselves are unrealistic.  Often we fail to accurately assess what will be required to achieve our goals, including the effort and commitment involved.

            Jesus taught an important lesson on this subject:

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it — lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

“Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:28-33).  The Lord’s point is that even the greatest goal — such as being a servant of Christ — is doomed to ruin if it’s not supported with the necessary resources.

            For the Christian, self-examination should be a continuous process, not a meaningless yearly ritual (Galatians 6:4; 1 Corinthians 11:28; 2 Corinthians 13:5). We should set spiritual goals for ourselves, not just annually, but every day — and evaluate ourselves daily to see whether we’re progressing as we ought.

            Happy New Year from the Bowling family! preachertombowling@gmail.com