It’s the New Year and many people make resolutions hoping to live better, look better, feel better, and do better in 2019 than they did in 2018. If you listen to much of the popular talk about making and keeping resolutions, you will probably get discouraged about the possibility of resolutions having any real lasting impact in your life. And while it is true that many resolutions do not last out the month of January, it is also true that failing to make any resolutions pretty much guarantees that you won’t keep them! It can be frustrating to make resolutions at any time of the year only to find yourself failing to keep them just a few days or weeks later, but every habit or practice that we do begins with some sort of decision or resolve, and a low success rate is still better than the zero success rate that comes from just giving up altogether. So here’s what I suggest: make some good and profitable resolutions for 2019 and keep them. When you find that you have missed your goal or failed to follow through perfectly, it just means its time to renew your resolution and keep on keeping on. This attitude will result in more change than if you simply avoid making any resolutions at all. Let me begin by offering a few suggested resolutions that will be profitable for you in 2019:
- Resolve to faithfully participate in the worship services of EBC – There are only 52 Sundays in 2019, which means there only 52 opportunities to gather with this local body of Christ to worship God, fellowship with the saints, exercise your unique gifts, encourage your brothers and sisters in the Lord, and give of your time and resources to further the gospel ministry. There are a variety of distractions and interruptions which might prevent you from gathering any given Sunday, so purpose now to make every effort to be physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually present unless you are simply unable to do so. And don’t just plan to be present, but plan to engage enthusiastically in greeting, singing, praying, encouraging, building up, and even admonishing one another. Remember, it’s not the pastor who does the work of the ministry, it is the entire body.
- Resolve to take advantage of every opportunity for growth and fellowship – This may come as a surprise to some people, but we actually have 3 scheduled services each week at EBC. In addition to our regular Sunday worship service at 10:45am we have Sunday School at 9:30 and Bible study and prayer every Wednesday after a family meal that begins at 6:00pm. Other opportunities include our ladies’ fellowship, LIFT, at 9:30am on the 2nd Saturday of the month. These gatherings provide fellowship opportunities in addition to diligently prepared studies of books of the Bible, theology, church history, or practical Christian living. Like many areas in life, the more time and effort you invest in church life, the more meaningful the body will become to you and the more you will benefit from it. You might have to rearrange your schedule a bit to make it, but your presence and involvement in every gathering will be a blessing to your church family.
- Resolve to read and meditate on the Bible regularly – Do you know how many hours there are in a week? I’ll save you the trouble of getting out your calculator: 168 hours. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the average American watches 2.8 hours of television per day for a total of 19.6 hours per week. Just looking at the volume of time alone, it is hard to imagine that 1.5 hrs spent in a worship service once a week is enough to counter the impact of nearly 20 hrs watching television. If we’re serious about wanting to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we’re going to have to make spending time with Him a greater priority than other things. One place to start is with our all-church reading plan that will cover the entire Bible in the next two years. Once you have a good habit of reading down, then maybe you can accelerate the schedule and increase the amount of time you are spending in God’s word or simply read the daily portions over and over as you meditate on what the Bible says.
- Resolve to reach one other person with the gospel – Only God can save a soul, but the fact that salvation is a work of the Holy Spirit does not mean we play no part in the process. In fact, Jesus himself commissioned his disciples to “Go and make disciples of all the nations,” and that is exactly what they did according to the book of Acts. We, too, have received the “words of life” and have the opportunity and responsibility to share those words with lost men, women, and children with whom we have contact. Unless you and I resolve to share Christ with others, it is unlikely in the extreme that we will have any gospel impact in 2019. This morning I had the privilege of sharing the good news of Jesus’ sacrificial death (and contrasting it with the bad news of our sin and judgment) with a recent acquaintance. The conversation itself was unexpected, but I was prepared because I’ve been praying that God would use me to make disciples and was able to discuss Christ when the conversation turned toward spiritual things. Will you determine to be prepared to speak of Christ and the gospel when the opportunity comes this year? God will use you to lead others to Him, if you are resolved to spread the good news.
There are many other good and healthy resolutions you might make for the coming year, but I hope you will prayerfully consider these along with me, and ask God to give you the courage and strength to follow through for the sake of His glory.