Too often the reason we fail to keep our New Year’s Resolutions is because we fail to make resolutions worth keeping. This year, make your resolution to have the right kind of spiritual life…
I love taking songs and finding the meaning behind them. Song bring with them an emotional bond in a way a good book or a good movie can not. The songs we sing in worship to God add an extra layer of emotional pull, especially for those songs we have sung our whole Christian lives. One song that is a favorite of many is the invitation hymn: I am Resolved. It is a song that illustrates the singers’ declaration to change: I am resolved! he sings, I am going to make a change!
Every new year people make new years resolutions. We promise ourselves that we will do things differently than we did in the past, try something new or let go of something bad. Sociologists say that you should not make a major decision on a Tuesday or Saturday, because you’re less likely to go through with it. Instead, they advise people to make big decisions at the beginning of the week, Sunday or Monday. As you start a new week, you can start your new life, and so on.
Nuts to that. I say if you’re going to make a change, there’s no better day that whatever today is! If your relationship is not right with God, let’s consider four things you should resolve to do. We’re already deep into January, but if you haven’t yet made a resolution, or if you’ve already broken the one you originally made, make these the replacements.
Say to yourself,
I am resolved…No longer to linger
I am resolved…To go to the savior
I am resolved…To follow the savior
I am resolved…To enter the kingdom
Resolve…NO LONGER TO LINGER
Alcoholics Anonymous’ famous first step toward alcohol recovery is admitting you have a problem. So if you’re going to make a change with your life this year, today, then you have to first admit you need to make a change. You can look around and see people that you know are living in sin. You can talk to them, warn them, encourage them, but many of them never change. Why? Could it be because they do not want to? With some, it is as simple as that, with others it could be they refuse to see the need to.
Consider an example from God’s word:
Paul stood before King Agrippa and used the opportunity to preach the Gospel to him. He did so, telling the king of the circumstances of his conversion (Acts 26).
At the conclusion of his sermon, Paul drops a bombshell on the king:
“Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know thou believest”
Acts 26:27
Paul says, “Agrippa, everything I have said…about Christ…about salvation from sin…about Christianity and the church…all of it, was spoken of by the prophets centuries ago. Do you believe the prophets? I know you do, so why not be converted?”
Agrippa’s reply is found in the next verse:
Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
Act 26:28
Now the King James translation of “almost” paints a slightly incorrect picture of what he is saying here. Actually Agrippa is mocking Paul. A more literal translation would have the king saying “you would with so few words make me a Christian?!” In other words, after Paul gives his speech, Agrippa checked his watch and said “that’s it? Is that all you’ve got?” You expect me to be converted by that short speech” What did Agrippa need to do? He needed to make a change, but he couldn’t see it. He refused to see it.
Think about all the times Jesus went after the scribes and Pharisee’s. In Matthew 23 he calls them hippocrites, fools, blind leaders of the blind. Was Jesus right? Of course! Did they change? Certainly not! They needed to make a change, but they could not, they would not, they refused to see it.
Think about people today who are living in sin. You know they need to change, their family and friends know it, everyone knows it. But the one person that doesn’t see it is the one who needs to do it. What’s the problem! They have not resolved. They continue to linger in their sin.
What about you? If you are in sin right now, say to yourself…No more. Say to yourself…I am resolved no longer to linger!
But you know what? You cant just decide to stop sinning; you cannot just remove the bad, without also adding the good. So, yes, resolve no longer to linger. But also resolve in this new year…TO GO TO THE SAVIOR
Jesus wants you to come to Him.
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…
Matthew 11:28
Jesus says come, but there are conditions.
number 1:
If you come, it will not be easy. Peter said that being a Christian means suffering as one (1 Peter 4:16). And yet, Peter also invites us to cat our cares upon Jesus (1 Peter 5:7).
No, it will not be easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is. It is, however, worth the grief.
Jesus says come, but there are conditions
number 2:
If you come, you have to stop thinking about self
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,
Luke 9:23
H. Leo Boles, a great preacher from yesteryear once said
When you come to Jesus there are no high positions, no places of ease and honor, no wealth or power, no way to gratify earthly ambitions. None of the things you would expect to receive from a king. Instead, when you come to Jesus there are daily crosses, a life of hardship, obscurity, persecution and dishonor
When you come to Jesus you have to stop thinking about yourself…but do not worry: Someone much greater is thinking about you, for you.
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. (without him knowing about it, that is)
But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Matthew 10:29-31
God says, don’t I take care of the birds? Aren’t you more important than a bird? Then do not worry,I will take care of you too.
Come to Jesus, but just remember…
#1 its not easy
#2 you have to deny yourself
#3 you have to come, not be dragged
You have to make the decision yourself; it cannot be made for you. No parent can make you become a Christian. No spouse can make you become a Christian. No friend, no co worker or relative can make you become a Christian. Paul said that when a person becomes a Christian he obeys from the heart (Romans 6:17). The heart is actually “the mind.” In other words, if you are to be converted you have to have the mental desire to be converted.
So why not resolve to go to the Savior!
And then resolve…TO FOLLOW THE SAVIOR
You might say, is not that the same thing (going to the Savior, and following the Savior)? No, because there have been many people who felt the need to go to the Savior, (that is, they knew they had to do something to be saved), but when they got to Him, they did not want to follow the Savior (and do what He says do). There was once a rich young ruler (Mark 10:17-28), who didnt just go to Jesus, he ran to Him (v17). He then asked Jesus for help. He even asked the right question: What do I have to do to have eternal life (v18)? So far so good, right? Except when he was told what he had to (stop loving money so much–v21), he went away from Jesus sorrowful and unconverted. Why? Jesus told him exactly what to do, and then added “and come follow me.” But because what Jesus asked was too much for him, the rich young ruler refused to follow.
Don’t make the same mistake. If you know Jesus has the answers let Him save you! Resolve to stop lingering in sin. Resolve to go to Jesus. Resolve to follow Jesus.
Follow Him where?
Resolve…TO ENTER THE KINGDOM
What does it mean to resolve to enter the kingdom?
It means you are saying
No matter what
No matter who
No matter how
I am resolved to enter the kingdom of Christ
Say: I am resolved to enter the kingdom: no matter what I have to leave behind. The rich young ruler was not prepared to leave his riches behind to follow the savior, and enter the kingdom. Are we more in love with what we have or in the One Who provided them for us? Do we love Him no matter what? Even if we have to leave ill-gained or selfishly-held riches behind?
Say: I am resolved to enter the kingdom: no matter what I have to do. If God said “stand and be saved” I would say where do you want me. If God said “jump to be saved” I would say where do I jump to. If God said “believe to be saved” I’m going to believe to be saved. If God said “repent to be saved” I’m going to repent. If He said “confess” I am going to confess. And If he said “be baptized” I am going to be baptized. Why? Because I am resolved, to enter the kingdom no matter what!
Be resolved to enter the kingdom…no matter who you leave behind. It’s a cold harsh fact, but not everyone is going to heaven. Not even everyone that acknowledges Christ as Lord is going to heaven (Matthew 7:21). In fact it’s almost a given that you know someone that is not going to heaven, but are you going to let them keep you from going? You cannot make them obey, so resolve to enter the kingdom no matter who you leave behind.
Resolve to enter the kingdom no matter who you have to hurt. Again, not everyone you know is going to obey they Gospel, and they will probably be upset with you, once they learn the things you stand for as a Christian. Do you think Paul had any friends or family? Doesn’t everybody? You think they all rejoiced when he became a Christian? I don’t think so. I imagine they felt hurt, but that did not stop him? No, because he was resolved to enter the kingdom, no matter who he had to hurt.
Finally, non-Christian, be resolved to enter the kingdom…no matter how hard the life will be. Nobody said it was easy, but remember, if this life is all there was, life would be scarcely be worth living:
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable
1 Corinthians 15:19
If I only have hope in this life I would be miserable. If there is no hope for another, better life than this, I would be miserable. But I know there is something far better waiting for me. So if I can just endure this life, then I can see the greatness that awaits. Say to yourself, I am resolved to enter the kingdom, no matter how hard this life will be
And last, be resolved to enter the kingdom no matter how often I want to give up. That day will come when you will just want to hang it up and give in.
Do not!
Remember someone like Job, who faced insurmountable odds and adversity, But he hung in there, he stayed true to his God, and in the end he was rewarded 10-fold for everything he lost. You are going to want to quit occasionally. Don’t. Hang in there and everything will work out in “the end.”
Non Christian, you know what you have to do, its just a matter of doing it. So say to yourself, I am resolved, determined, steadfast, tenacious, not willing to let anything stand in my way. I am resolved…No longer to linger. I am resolved…To go to the Savior. I am resolved…To follow the Savior. I am resolved…to enter the kingdom.
If you are not a child of God, become one. God has laid out a plan for your salvation that is so simple anyone can understand it and obey. Why won’t you? The commands of God for finding and maintaining a relationship with Christ are available to you. If you need our help, contact us and we’ll be glad to assist you.
PS:
There is another verse to the song “I am resolved” that is not in most song books. It goes:
I am resolved, and who will go with me?
Come, friends, without delay,
Taught by the Bible, led by the Spirit,
We’ll walk the heavenly way.
Can you sing those words Christian, and mean it? If you’ve not be led by the Spirit through His inspired Word, repent and turn back to God. That’s a resolution worth keeping!
