Resolved
The rain makes my pilfered wireless connection at Irwin's all the more skittish. No worries; I'll ride it when I can.
Resolutions are, at their best, a mixed bag for me. Once I start listing all the things I'd like to improve or change, the list quickly grows beyond human limitation-being human, I resent my limits. Some of that can be channeled healthily; some is outright rebellion, masked poorly or well. The rebellion thrusts me deeper into a multi-front war. On the one front, I try to overthrow God in large and small ways, entrusting control of my life to my idols and myself. On another, I flirt with despair and self-hatred should I fail, not to mention further destructive behavior. Clearly both battles are folly: God's sovereignty will never be usurped, and because this is true, I have no business hating someone He loves-in this case, me.
With the dangers clearly laid out, however, it's still not a bad idea to take the opportunity of a new year to think about what growth would look like and identify what disciplines might aid me in getting from here to there. This year, I'm limiting myself at the outset to one goal, one critical point to put my weight into-the lynchpin, the first domino.
Therefore be it resolved... that I will spend deliberate time in prayer and Scripture daily, using a one year Bible reading plan as a guide. I've been really spotty with this for a while, and it serves only to make me weak everywhere else as well. Not that discipline saves or sanctifies a person-God does. A simple discipline like this just serves to place me daily in His path. From there He can take me anywhere He wants me to go, transform anything He wants to change, and teach me anything He wants me to learn.
Resolutions are, at their best, a mixed bag for me. Once I start listing all the things I'd like to improve or change, the list quickly grows beyond human limitation-being human, I resent my limits. Some of that can be channeled healthily; some is outright rebellion, masked poorly or well. The rebellion thrusts me deeper into a multi-front war. On the one front, I try to overthrow God in large and small ways, entrusting control of my life to my idols and myself. On another, I flirt with despair and self-hatred should I fail, not to mention further destructive behavior. Clearly both battles are folly: God's sovereignty will never be usurped, and because this is true, I have no business hating someone He loves-in this case, me.
With the dangers clearly laid out, however, it's still not a bad idea to take the opportunity of a new year to think about what growth would look like and identify what disciplines might aid me in getting from here to there. This year, I'm limiting myself at the outset to one goal, one critical point to put my weight into-the lynchpin, the first domino.
Therefore be it resolved... that I will spend deliberate time in prayer and Scripture daily, using a one year Bible reading plan as a guide. I've been really spotty with this for a while, and it serves only to make me weak everywhere else as well. Not that discipline saves or sanctifies a person-God does. A simple discipline like this just serves to place me daily in His path. From there He can take me anywhere He wants me to go, transform anything He wants to change, and teach me anything He wants me to learn.