I Resolve...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!


It has finally arrived. It took a whole year to get here. Now that it's here what shall we do with it?

Yes I am talking about 2009, the new year. 2008 is behind us; all the bad/good has become our past. We can't change it. We can only learn from it and continue living.

It is this time of year when many people make New Year's Resolutions. It may be to lose weight, get a better job, stop a bad habit. And each year most of those issues go unresolved. Why? It is easy to lose hope when trying to conquer a difficult task. We are a "now" generation. If we don't see results now then we take a detour and end up elsewhere. Then when the next new year comes around we feel guilty and resolve to change again.

I, myself, am not much for exercising. Maybe it's the pain that comes with it that deters me. I would rather find more exciting ways to keep healthy. Running is top on my list of "hates." Really, have you ever seen a person smiling when they are running? They look miserable and about to fall over. What fun is that?

My Senior year in high school I decided to try out for Track. It involved running. Why would I do something I hated? Maybe I was a crazed teenager. Or maybe it was the fact that everyone told me I couldn't do it and I wanted to prove them wrong.

It was a gruesome time in my life. It was painful and boring. Running around a track over and over just seemed pointless. I was not getting anywhere. I would end where I started. But I did it and I finished the Track season. I was definitely not the best on the team but I was proud to have finished.

Paul, in the book of Acts, speaks of a race that I definitely desire to be a part of; one that I resolve to finish.

Acts 20:22-24 And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

Our Jerusalem is the new year ahead. We don't know what will happen during 2009. We are bound to run into hardships along the way. There are also many blessings awaiting us.

God has given us a task to finish; a race that has a worthy finishline. It is the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. He does not desire for anyone to perish, but all to come to repentance. In Matthew God commands us to go out and spread the gospel. It is not always an easy task but one worth doing.

Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

It is not hard to get off track and become busy with other worldly desires. There are many things that "look" easier to conquer than winning souls for Christ. It is a choice we have to make. Do we press on toward the goal God has set for us or do we veer off the path and fulfill our own desires?

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

While in Track my coach said something that I really didn't grasp until I got older. He said, "When running, don't look to your left or right. Don't look around. Keep your eyes on the track and keep your focus. Looking around will slow you down."

It was true. Whenever I got bored from running that track over and over I would allow my eyes to wander off onto something more interesting. I thought it would help pass the time. Sure, it helped pass the time but it also slowed my time. And in slowing my time I either couldn't finish the race because I was too exhausted, or if I did finish it was after everyone else had finished.

Many things can catch our eyes and cause us to be preoccupied. We then lose our focus on the task at hand. I challenge you to make 2009 a year of fulfilling God's calling--testifying to the gospel of God's grace. Don't wait for the lost to come to you. Go to them. We do not know the day or hour when Jesus will return. When He does return I hope He finds us running the race. I hope I can stand before God and say I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). God Bless and have a Blessed New Year~