Remember that old song, "I am resolved no longer to linger?" I think I might just know every word by heart as I have heard it so many times. It was the ultimate "invitation" song at my church growing up, and the implication was "I promise, again, one more time, this time, for sure, I'm serious this time, nothing up my sleeve, not like before . . . to follow Christ!" I now look back and realize thinking like that was about as biblical as The Washington Post. It's just not biblical.
You see, our faith in Christ and our ability to follow him is not like a New Year's resolution. It's not a promise to do our best to be faithful. It's not a promise to lose those extra 15 pounds or a promise to run every other day and do sit ups or to read our Bibles more . . . it's not us mustering up the courage to do it right and be a good follower of Christ. It's just not.
Resolutions can be good. Determination, willpower, a desire to be better and to make radical change are all fantastic, and they are certainly a part of what it means to be a disciple; yet, our resolution is not a works-based resolution. If it is, it can easily fall by the wayside like so many well-intentioned resolutions of the past. God won't set us up to fail like that, and he won't cheapen his ultimate plan for our salvation to the level of sit ups and broken diets.
Instead, the resolution for us was made by God. He was determined that we be better! That we lose that extra weight of sin that was weighing us down, making us look and feel bad. He made that resolution 2000 years ago- and for God, a day is as a thousand years . . . so that means he makes it again today! You are a new creation! Praise God!
Mark
You see, our faith in Christ and our ability to follow him is not like a New Year's resolution. It's not a promise to do our best to be faithful. It's not a promise to lose those extra 15 pounds or a promise to run every other day and do sit ups or to read our Bibles more . . . it's not us mustering up the courage to do it right and be a good follower of Christ. It's just not.
Resolutions can be good. Determination, willpower, a desire to be better and to make radical change are all fantastic, and they are certainly a part of what it means to be a disciple; yet, our resolution is not a works-based resolution. If it is, it can easily fall by the wayside like so many well-intentioned resolutions of the past. God won't set us up to fail like that, and he won't cheapen his ultimate plan for our salvation to the level of sit ups and broken diets.
Instead, the resolution for us was made by God. He was determined that we be better! That we lose that extra weight of sin that was weighing us down, making us look and feel bad. He made that resolution 2000 years ago- and for God, a day is as a thousand years . . . so that means he makes it again today! You are a new creation! Praise God!
Mark
No comments:
Post a Comment