Think about the many resolutions we make to ourselves on a daily basis.
"I'm going to do all of the laundry today."
"I will stick to my diet this time!"
"I am not going to raise my voice at the kids..."
"I'm going to do my best at work today."
Fine goals, even good goals, but I'm afraid they often tend to become foremost in our minds and pursuits. Let us not forget that chores, fitness, (dare I say) kids, and any other thing/person that demands more of our attention, adoration, and devotion than God is an idol.
We must resolve within our hearts to put the Lord first, not just on Sunday...every single day. You know, my strongest memories of my mom are of her sitting on 'her couch' with her Bible spread before her and her always-growing prayer list in her hand. I cannot express how important it is for kids to know that they are not the center of their parents' universe--God is! (Totally off track, but take it for what it's worth...:)
So my last year at college a dear friend handed me a copy of Jonathan Edwards' Resolutions--wow.
These seventy little resolutions contain some of the best advice on 'how to live life' that you will ever get (apart from Scripture). Lord willing, I will periodically do a 'resolution post' because I believe them to be so helpful and edifying (as well as encourage you to read them for yourselves). As he hardly needs my added commentary, I will let Edwards speak for himself.
Resolution 30: "Resolved, to strive to my utmost every week to be brought higher in religion, and to a higher exercise of grace, than I was the week before."
Yep. Now the hard part for me is actually doing it. Praise God for grace.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
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2 comments:
Thank you Robin. Would you be willing to share one way in which you plan to put this resolution into practice this week? Resolutions are easily forgotten without a plan. At least I speak for myself.
For me, I have purposed to cut out fruitless distractions and schedule in more time that I am just 'with God.'
I've been reevaluating my idea of "free time."
I work eight hours a day, five days a week.
I sleep about six hours a night.
I eat a few times a day, or whenever I am hungry.
I have my God time.
THEN I have all the rest of the hours in the day for 'ME time.'
Something is wrong when I have more 'me time' than 'God time' and 'others time.'
Oh, I am so pressed with the burden that we are squandering the time and resources God has given us in this country. I can only think that He has given us much because one day we will have much required of us (whether in death or in persecution). I want to be ready!
If we realized that Christians in closed countries work over 20 hours more a week, get less sleep, often go hungry, and usually do not possess a complete Bible, and YET spend more time seeking the Lord than we do...it shames me.
We are entertainment-obsessed.
If the only thing that matters is my relationship with God, why do I spend so much time pursuing anything else? If I truly find my fullest joy and satisfaction in God, why do I look for satisfaction in mere things?
But I often do--while in this body of flesh I always will, but by grace I don't have to give the flesh opportunity to sin.
So one way this week? (After all of that...) Choosing to spend time in prayer and Scripture memorization instead of watching the NBA playoffs (I love sports)...
It sounds ridiculous when you actually type it out. God or basketball? Actually that might help us evaluate things by saying it in our heads...'God or...?'
I'm not saying that we should never watch sports. But I believe that we should carefully guard our habits and make things of God normative and things of 'harmless entertainment' exceptions.
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