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Pointers along the way #20

Time for resolutions
- Jacob Ninan

One of the tricks of the devil is to make jokes of serious matters. There are so many jokes about new year resolutions that people feel too silly to make any. Christian life needs resolve and determination, and New Year's Day is just as good as any other day to make serious resolutions.

Daniel made a resolution as a young man not to defile himself with food from the table of the King of Babylon (Da.1:8). This was due to Daniel's strong desire to be pleasing to God. He made up his mind that no matter what the consequences were going to be, he was not going to defile himself in that particular way. God noticed this, and immediately started working all things for Daniel's good (v.9).

We may be afraid to make resolutions thinking that we would look silly when we are not able to keep them. We will certainly look silly if we make rash and impractical resolutions which we cannot keep. But there may be things we have to give up, and there may be other things we need to adopt. It is God who tells us what we should do and gives us a desire to do them, and then it is His strength that He gives us (Php.2:13). It is with this confidence that we can make our resolutions.

If we fail after that to keep any of our resolutions, that is not enough reason to give them up. It is only a time to seek more earnestly for God's grace.

Let us make practical resolutions that would help us get to know Jesus more intimately, because that is eternal life (Jn.17:3). Let us also resolve to be careful with things that can distract us and lead us away from Him.

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