New Year’s Resolutions

Many of us will make a New Year’s Resolution.  Do some research on-line and you will discover that making resolutions does empower us to be more successful in attaining our goals than to not making a resolution.  Most people will resolve to lose weight, reduce spending or debts, kick some bad habit, start doing this or that, etc.  Such resolutions can be useful and life-changing.

How many of us will resolve to make changes that impact the “critical targets” of our lives?  Each of us prioritizes our lives into categories such as God, family, job, self, etc.  How many of these categories have eternal significance?  How many of our New Year’s resolutions will address the critical targets derived from eternal categories?  What will we do to develop a deeper relationship with our Creator and Savior?  What will we do to become a better spouse?  What will we do to become a better parent or child?  What will we do to become more loving, compassionate, dependable, or moral?

If I lose those nagging 20 pounds, but fail to demonstrate my love for my God, my wife, my children and grandchild, my neighbor what have I really accomplished this next year?  If I spend less money but spend less time on the things that are critical to my heart, then what have I accomplished this next year?  If change habits but fail to change my heart, then what have I accomplished this next year?

Let us all pray and ask God to direct our resolutions this year.  What is truly important?  Critical?  How do I become more of what He wants and others need?  These are the resolutions that I need to make.  How about you?

Violence in our Society

What has happened in our society that violence is a part of our school and now church culture?  I do not pretend to have all the answers to that question.  I do think we have promised more than we can deliver.  Our culture believes and promotes “rights”.  But have we expanded “rights” beyond our ability to guarantee them.  We believe our Creator guaranteed the right to pursue happiness.  He did not guarantee happiness.  We, however, feel we have a “right” to this and a “right” to that. 

What happens when ones “rights” are violated?  When what is promised or perceived as guaranteed is not delivered?  Might he become angry, frustrated, disappointed, and ultimately demanding.  If still unsatisfied, might he become violent.  The world “owes” him and he is being short changed.  Finally, he lashes out at the culture that has denied him.  Schools, churches, malls, and other scenes all represent an aspect of our culture.  Here is the final protest against a cruel and unfair world.  It grants to some and denies others.

Have we lost sight of Biblical truth?  God promises us the blessedness and beauty of His presence and “all good things” in heaven.  Not necessarily here and not necessarily now.  Are we wanting a guarantee of heaven on earth?  Or are we faithfully waiting to leave earth and go to heaven?  Jesus promised to come back and take us to live with Himself.  He did not promise to make life here and now everything we want and desire.

Losing perspective and forgetting His promises leaves us little hope of having unrealistic dreams and goals reached in the here and now.  Living outside His grace and love places an impossible burden on those around us to meet all our needs:  physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  With little hope and impossible burdens we are seeing members of our society lash out violently against us.  The answer is not more laws, programs, or false promises.  The answer I believe is Jesus.  He gives us an eternal perspective and love which sustains, calms, and comforts our hearts.   We should not look to our schools or governments to solve this horrible dilemma.  Changing hearts, lives, and perspectives is the work of the Holy Spirit alone.  This is a job for God’s people:  The Church.

Babies and Christmas

This Christmas I celebrate with my first grandchild – Brady.  He will be 5 months old.  I may be biased but he the cutest kid around.  His smile lights up his face and the faces of all those around him.  First grandchildren, like first children, change ones whole reality.  I dearly love my wife and my three children, but this Christmas Brady will dominate all our hearts. 

Babies are also the most selfish manifestation of humanity.  They think only and always of themselves.  They show no regard, compassion, nor pity for those around them.  They do not care if you are busy, asleep, or otherwise occupied.  If they want something of you they expect…no – demand- you meet their need.  It causes me to reflect on my own life.  How selfish am I?  How demanding of others am I?  How often do I make myself the center of the universe?

Christmas and Babies.  We celebrate The Baby who came to save a sinful selfish world.  He humbled Himself to become our servant.  He came not to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for our sin.  Maybe I can capture the meaning of Christmas in a deeper sense this Christmas.  Brady and Jesus have much to teach me.