Looking ahead in this new year, what are your hopes and aspirations for the future? I think it is possible as we look to the future to have macro-resolutions and micro-resolutions, and that we can change our habits in order to reach them.
I have been influenced recently by a book called The Practice of Godliness by Jerry Bridges . Beneath the title on the cover of the book it says; “Godliness has value for all things,” which comes out of 1 Timothy 4:8. Bridges discusses the importance of devotion to God, and then through learning about God’s character and submitting to him, how we can grow in likeness to him. This is my macro-resolution, then: to be devoted to God completely and to become more like him.
Micro-resolutions would be the ways in which we accomplish the macro-resolutions. To grow in my devotion to God, I need to be seeking to know him more and more in his Word, to be in a continual attitude of prayer and worship, and to be sure my heart is open to the refinement that the Spirit wants to do in my life. My hope is that the Spirit will then use me more effectively in the lives of others.
I find, however, that we need to have definite daily habits in place for these great aspirations to become reality. To know God more, then, I want to set aside time to read a chapter a day in Scripture this year. Along with that, I want to delve more deeply into the NT by trying to learn more about the original Greek in which it is written. To be consistent in prayer and worship, I want to daily take time to speak to him about everything, and praise him for who he is and all he is doing. Lastly, I want to ask daily that he would show me areas of sin in my life to be repented of, and the areas where he wants me to grow to be more like him. A book that I hope to read to help on this is Habits of Grace by David Mathis.
How about you? All of the things that we desire to do of course can only be done through God’s power and with the support of each other. Let us join together and be united in resolving to bring glory to God and to enjoy his presence in our lives this year. One of the great resolutions that Jonathan Edwards had for himself was, “To live with all my might, while I do live.” Along with him, let us live for the Lord with all our might in 2018!