December 26, 2000
In a poem entitled “Exit,” author Luci Shaw asks these questions: “When you go will you go with a sizzle—a spiteful spitting on a hot plate? . . . when you leave will you leave with a bang—exploding like a far star, kicking your hot cinders in God’s eyes?”
Questions about endings seem to lurk in our minds around the last couple weeks of December. For a while we wondered — how will the U.S. elections finish? Now it is: how will this year finish? What will my family or my financial statement look like? Did I accomplish what I wanted to in this year 2000?
Many people started this millennial year with a list of dreams and many will take time to look at the results. Ending poorly is not on our mind — not for a day, a year, or even our life. We want to finish well, not with a sizzle but with an exclamation mark.
This desire is tied to our huge inner need to feel significant. I want my life to matter. When I come to the end of anything, whether a day, a week, or a year, evaluation seems almost as automatic as resolutions to do better next time.
I used to be big on those New Year’s resolutions too, but that was before discovering how easily I can set myself up for a poor ending. I would fill pages with things I wanted to do but ignored those factors that are out of my control, like the limits of a twenty-four hour day!
About five years ago, I decided to trade my to-do list for a “to-be” list. I want to be like Jesus, partly because I know that will give my life meaning. As Spanish composer and musician Pablo Casals said, “The capacity to care gives life its deepest significance.” That capacity is one part of what it means to be like the Lord.
I’m learning if I have a caring attitude, that is more important than any of the stuff that gets checked off my list. Being kind to people and becoming a more Christlike person has greater significant in that to-do list too; they are done in a meaningful way rather than simply completed.
Another trouble with resolutions is maintaining balance. What do we do about the mistakes of the past? Just forget them? And how do we plan for the future without, as some sage said, “continually expecting the coming of some special hour when our life shall unfold itself in its full significance” and miss the fact that “life is flowing like water through our fingers?”
Certainly yesterday’s choices makes a difference in today’s decisions but Emerson is wrong when he said, “Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. . . . Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely.” We can begin tomorrow with greater wisdom and serenity if we consider what worked well yesterday and what did not.
By far the most important part of moving into a new year or a new anything is deciding, regardless of what lies before me, that I will obey the Lord, that I will think and act in goodness. When it comes down to it, planning is okay but right now is the only real opportunity to do something significant. It may be a small thing in our eyes but Jesus said just giving someone a cup of cold water in His name would be rewarded. I’m sure He meant that we give it in kindness.
Lord, the year is nearly over and I’m thankful that my sins and stupidities are forgiven. I’m also thankful that You do not waste even that but use them to teach me that I need to depend on You. Thank You for Your presence and Your eternal care. If nothing else, may I be more obedient to You — in all of 2001 of course — but also today, even this very moment.
Showing posts with label resolutions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label resolutions. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Monday, July 4, 2016
The Bible and New Year’s Resolutions .......... Parables 453
December 27, 1994
As 1994 draws to a close, we look back and remember. Was it a good year? Or was it a year you would rather forget? Maybe this was a year for inheriting money or winning a lottery. Maybe 1994 was the year for marriage, or divorce, or having a first child or becoming a grandparent. Perhaps a series of financial setbacks put a blight on this year, or relationships did not turn out as hoped. Whatever 1994 held, the memories are important.
The Bible uses the word “remember” many times. Some of these passages suggest positive advice for ending the year and some suggest resolutions for next year. Here are a few examples from the New Testament about remembering.
Matthew 5:23 talks about being at worship and remembering that another person has something against you. It says go to that person and seek their forgiveness, then return and give worship. Patching up broken relationships is never easy. Anger and bitterness can be deeply rooted. Yet God knows these words are powerful: “I am sorry, I was wrong... please forgive me.” When we remember hurts we have inflicted on others and do something about it, we not only restore a relationship and remove tension, we also bring peace to ourselves and to the other person. This is a good way to end a year and start a new one.
Clearing up a botched relationship also applies to ourselves and God. Whenever we remember something we have done against Him, we can confess it, remove the load of guilt, enjoy restored fellowship with Him and a renewed sense of personal peace.
Remembering and confessing sin can be painful, but because Jesus died for our sin and rose again, we have access to God. As the angel told some women at His tomb, “He is not here; he has risen! Remember how He told you...!” Remembering that Jesus died for us takes the sting out of any memories of moral and spiritual failure.
Perhaps 1994 brings memories of godly living. If it does, then it may also bring to mind ridicule or mistreatment. In this regard, Jesus said, “Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20).
Jesus was rejected because His holy life stabbed the conscience of anyone who did not want to repent. Christians who live for Him need to remember what He said about this and not be surprised if others prefer sin and reject us and our message. Jesus also said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” We can remember that and be thankful for His grace that enables us to live in a godly way.
If this year’s profit was financial, here is another truth to think on: Remember this: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously” (2 Cor. 9:6). If you were generous and God rewarded your generosity, thank God for the principle of seeding and harvest!
Tied into the idea of being generous is hospitality. The Bible tells us, “Do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” It also gives us pleasure to remember those times of sharing with our friends.
However, God also reminds us “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” Being kind to everyone brings happy thoughts and if that has not been a large part of 1994, it is a good resolution for 1995.
At the close of the year, we can also remember others in prayer. Throughout Paul’s epistles, he says, “I constantly remember you in my prayers.”
Prayer for others is a wonderful way to sum up a day, a week, or a year. It takes our focus off ourselves and gives us opportunity to be part of God’s blessing for others.
Hebrews 13 gives a specific target for our prayers: “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” This probably refers to persecuted believers in countries where Christianity is illegal. Thank God we are free to worship Him, but remember not everyone enjoys the same luxury.
Another target for prayer is in the same passage: “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you.” Christian leaders in pastoral ministry or other vocations need our prayers now and all year long! The verse adds a good resolution for 1995: “Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.”
This small sampling demonstrates how the Bible can help us wrap up 1994 and look ahead with hope and specific plans for 1995. As you use God’s Word to guide you in remembering and planning, may He richly bless you.
As 1994 draws to a close, we look back and remember. Was it a good year? Or was it a year you would rather forget? Maybe this was a year for inheriting money or winning a lottery. Maybe 1994 was the year for marriage, or divorce, or having a first child or becoming a grandparent. Perhaps a series of financial setbacks put a blight on this year, or relationships did not turn out as hoped. Whatever 1994 held, the memories are important.
The Bible uses the word “remember” many times. Some of these passages suggest positive advice for ending the year and some suggest resolutions for next year. Here are a few examples from the New Testament about remembering.
Matthew 5:23 talks about being at worship and remembering that another person has something against you. It says go to that person and seek their forgiveness, then return and give worship. Patching up broken relationships is never easy. Anger and bitterness can be deeply rooted. Yet God knows these words are powerful: “I am sorry, I was wrong... please forgive me.” When we remember hurts we have inflicted on others and do something about it, we not only restore a relationship and remove tension, we also bring peace to ourselves and to the other person. This is a good way to end a year and start a new one.
Clearing up a botched relationship also applies to ourselves and God. Whenever we remember something we have done against Him, we can confess it, remove the load of guilt, enjoy restored fellowship with Him and a renewed sense of personal peace.
Remembering and confessing sin can be painful, but because Jesus died for our sin and rose again, we have access to God. As the angel told some women at His tomb, “He is not here; he has risen! Remember how He told you...!” Remembering that Jesus died for us takes the sting out of any memories of moral and spiritual failure.
Perhaps 1994 brings memories of godly living. If it does, then it may also bring to mind ridicule or mistreatment. In this regard, Jesus said, “Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20).
Jesus was rejected because His holy life stabbed the conscience of anyone who did not want to repent. Christians who live for Him need to remember what He said about this and not be surprised if others prefer sin and reject us and our message. Jesus also said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” We can remember that and be thankful for His grace that enables us to live in a godly way.
If this year’s profit was financial, here is another truth to think on: Remember this: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously” (2 Cor. 9:6). If you were generous and God rewarded your generosity, thank God for the principle of seeding and harvest!
Tied into the idea of being generous is hospitality. The Bible tells us, “Do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” It also gives us pleasure to remember those times of sharing with our friends.
However, God also reminds us “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” Being kind to everyone brings happy thoughts and if that has not been a large part of 1994, it is a good resolution for 1995.
At the close of the year, we can also remember others in prayer. Throughout Paul’s epistles, he says, “I constantly remember you in my prayers.”
Prayer for others is a wonderful way to sum up a day, a week, or a year. It takes our focus off ourselves and gives us opportunity to be part of God’s blessing for others.
Hebrews 13 gives a specific target for our prayers: “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” This probably refers to persecuted believers in countries where Christianity is illegal. Thank God we are free to worship Him, but remember not everyone enjoys the same luxury.
Another target for prayer is in the same passage: “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you.” Christian leaders in pastoral ministry or other vocations need our prayers now and all year long! The verse adds a good resolution for 1995: “Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.”
This small sampling demonstrates how the Bible can help us wrap up 1994 and look ahead with hope and specific plans for 1995. As you use God’s Word to guide you in remembering and planning, may He richly bless you.
Monday, November 9, 2015
Challenged by Resolutions ................ Parables 350
December 29, 1992
Right about now, many folks are thinking about making resolutions. While we are inspired by the freshness of beginning a new year, some of us wonder if resolutions are important, considering that most of our good intentions will wither and fade before Valentine’s Day.
Is it foolish to add: “I resolve to keep my resolutions” or can something else rescue those January 1 commitments, at least until school starts or Halloween is over?
Simply evaluating possible reasons for previous failures might help. Were they too difficult or unrealistic? Did circumstances change unexpectedly? Did responsibilities increase? Or was it memory-lag?
No matter the pattern of failure, success can come by putting a corresponding twist in the resolution. For example, if goals seem sizeable or time-consuming, break them down into smaller chunks. In the last 30 months, I read over 60 books and completed 33 college courses. Looking back, it seems impossible, never mind how I felt about the size of the task at the beginning. Yet by dividing each course into daily assignments and each book into daily pages-to-read, I was able to reach my objectives.
Changes in circumstances may thwart goals too, so set some that do not depend on circumstances. Personal growth falls into this category. Resolve to become a better listener or to form a habit of expressing appreciation to family members, bank tellers, and sales clerks.
Nearly everyone has a problem with squeezed schedules and many are tempted to resolve to simply say “no” more often. We dislike it when we are making progress on one project and someone interrupts our agenda. Some very busy people tell me the best way to handle interruptions is by actually adding time for them in your schedule!
Another difficulty with resolutions is remembering what they are. The only way to overcome this is by keeping goals visible. My husband carries a DayTimer everywhere he goes. I also use one, along with post-it notes and occasionally make colorful wall charts. My husband and I compare and talk about our plans together and try to hold each other accountable, not only to remember our goals but to actually accomplish them.
Anyone who never bothers setting goals has no problem with reaching them, yet long-term goals are important. Setting them is even biblical. For example, Paul’s long-term goal was Christlikeness. He “pressed on toward the mark” by maintaining close fellowship with Christ. He considered each circumstance, even each interruption, as an opportunity to respond as Christ would and thus further realize his goal. Paul encourages us to follow his example because he followed the example of Jesus Christ.
Both Paul and Christ based their goals on the will of God and, because they were successful in accomplishing them, this is the most important strategy toward keeping resolutions. When we desire to do His will, we can depend on His help. He is able to “make us complete in every good work to DO His will, working in us what is well pleasing in His sight” (Hebrews 13:21).
I’m convinced this is the only way anyone can truly fulfil their goals so instead of aiming toward what I can do for myself in 1993, I am aiming toward what I can do to please God in 1993.
Happy New Year!
Right about now, many folks are thinking about making resolutions. While we are inspired by the freshness of beginning a new year, some of us wonder if resolutions are important, considering that most of our good intentions will wither and fade before Valentine’s Day.
Is it foolish to add: “I resolve to keep my resolutions” or can something else rescue those January 1 commitments, at least until school starts or Halloween is over?
Simply evaluating possible reasons for previous failures might help. Were they too difficult or unrealistic? Did circumstances change unexpectedly? Did responsibilities increase? Or was it memory-lag?
No matter the pattern of failure, success can come by putting a corresponding twist in the resolution. For example, if goals seem sizeable or time-consuming, break them down into smaller chunks. In the last 30 months, I read over 60 books and completed 33 college courses. Looking back, it seems impossible, never mind how I felt about the size of the task at the beginning. Yet by dividing each course into daily assignments and each book into daily pages-to-read, I was able to reach my objectives.
Changes in circumstances may thwart goals too, so set some that do not depend on circumstances. Personal growth falls into this category. Resolve to become a better listener or to form a habit of expressing appreciation to family members, bank tellers, and sales clerks.
Nearly everyone has a problem with squeezed schedules and many are tempted to resolve to simply say “no” more often. We dislike it when we are making progress on one project and someone interrupts our agenda. Some very busy people tell me the best way to handle interruptions is by actually adding time for them in your schedule!
Another difficulty with resolutions is remembering what they are. The only way to overcome this is by keeping goals visible. My husband carries a DayTimer everywhere he goes. I also use one, along with post-it notes and occasionally make colorful wall charts. My husband and I compare and talk about our plans together and try to hold each other accountable, not only to remember our goals but to actually accomplish them.
Anyone who never bothers setting goals has no problem with reaching them, yet long-term goals are important. Setting them is even biblical. For example, Paul’s long-term goal was Christlikeness. He “pressed on toward the mark” by maintaining close fellowship with Christ. He considered each circumstance, even each interruption, as an opportunity to respond as Christ would and thus further realize his goal. Paul encourages us to follow his example because he followed the example of Jesus Christ.
Both Paul and Christ based their goals on the will of God and, because they were successful in accomplishing them, this is the most important strategy toward keeping resolutions. When we desire to do His will, we can depend on His help. He is able to “make us complete in every good work to DO His will, working in us what is well pleasing in His sight” (Hebrews 13:21).
I’m convinced this is the only way anyone can truly fulfil their goals so instead of aiming toward what I can do for myself in 1993, I am aiming toward what I can do to please God in 1993.
Happy New Year!
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
“New” on the label does not work with hand-me-downs .................... Parables 147
When I was a little girl my mother often took apart a dress that could no longer be worn by its owner and remade it into a garment for me or my sister. Even though we had not worn it before, the title “a new dress” hardly seemed suitable. Our friends and classmates may not have seen the fabric on anyone else, but we knew that our new dress was really an old one.
Later on, my children wore pants made from an uncle’s slacks or a jacket from someone’s cast-off coat. Although they were happy to get these things, they were much happier with something made from scratch with new fabric, Anything else had belonged to someone else and was a make-over.
At the beginning of a new year, most of us feel our lives need a make-over. It is time for resolutions. Old habits need breaking. New habits must begin. Diets, stop smoking schemes, projects, you name it, let’s give it a fresh start.
The few pounds gained over the holidays drop off in January but return in March. Just one indulgence brings back that discarded bad habit worse than ever. The half finished projects are still there, waiting for next year’s resolutions. Fresh starts go stale so quickly.
Perhaps resolutions are something like recycled clothes. So often we just make-do or make-over. In fact, I’ve tried to take myself apart and put myself back together into a slightly different style. While the result may have looked different to an untrained eye, nothing was really new. Even if it fooled someone else, I knew my “new” self was just a recycled cast off. But there is a better way.
First, since resolutions are almost always expected to be discarded, give them a new name: goals. The word has a more permanent sound.
Second, recognize newness of life comes God. Make-overs are only the best we can do. As we trust Him to forgive our sins and failures, He will grant us a new start by giving us His gift of new life. “If any man be in Christ Jesus, old things pass away, and all things become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) What a promise for a new year!
Third, instead of determining goals on our own, remember what God says about making plans: “Woe to the obstinate children... those who carry out plans that are not mine...these are rebellious people... children unwilling to listen to the LORD’S instruction.” (Isaiah 30) Therefore, daily pray and seek God’s will in His word, before setting goals.
Fourth, when sure of what God wants accomplished in the new year, write it down, I keep a small binder on my desk with GOALS written on the outside spine. Each page has a general goal with steps needed toward its accomplishment. Several times a week, I look at these goals and pray about them. I even tell others what they are so someone will hold me accountable. This careful organization especially motivates people who get satisfaction from checking “to-do” items off a list.
Finally, do our part. God will not “zap” our life while we sit in an easy chair. Take action on the”steps” remembering our part is important, but we won’t achieve godly goals without prayer and reliance upon God. It is obedience to His power at work in us that will see us through. Remember, prayerfully setting goals with continued prayer and appropriate action that is done in His newness of life will produce results.
Wearing make-over clothes isn’t so bad; but I have no desire for a patched-up, made-over lifestyle. God starts from scratch. He gives His people new life with white robes of righteousness when they believe in and receive His Son. He daily energizes that life as we submit to Him, enabling the accomplishment of the plans He puts in our hearts. He is the secret of keeping resolutions all year long!
Later on, my children wore pants made from an uncle’s slacks or a jacket from someone’s cast-off coat. Although they were happy to get these things, they were much happier with something made from scratch with new fabric, Anything else had belonged to someone else and was a make-over.
At the beginning of a new year, most of us feel our lives need a make-over. It is time for resolutions. Old habits need breaking. New habits must begin. Diets, stop smoking schemes, projects, you name it, let’s give it a fresh start.
The few pounds gained over the holidays drop off in January but return in March. Just one indulgence brings back that discarded bad habit worse than ever. The half finished projects are still there, waiting for next year’s resolutions. Fresh starts go stale so quickly.
Perhaps resolutions are something like recycled clothes. So often we just make-do or make-over. In fact, I’ve tried to take myself apart and put myself back together into a slightly different style. While the result may have looked different to an untrained eye, nothing was really new. Even if it fooled someone else, I knew my “new” self was just a recycled cast off. But there is a better way.
First, since resolutions are almost always expected to be discarded, give them a new name: goals. The word has a more permanent sound.
Second, recognize newness of life comes God. Make-overs are only the best we can do. As we trust Him to forgive our sins and failures, He will grant us a new start by giving us His gift of new life. “If any man be in Christ Jesus, old things pass away, and all things become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) What a promise for a new year!
Third, instead of determining goals on our own, remember what God says about making plans: “Woe to the obstinate children... those who carry out plans that are not mine...these are rebellious people... children unwilling to listen to the LORD’S instruction.” (Isaiah 30) Therefore, daily pray and seek God’s will in His word, before setting goals.
Fourth, when sure of what God wants accomplished in the new year, write it down, I keep a small binder on my desk with GOALS written on the outside spine. Each page has a general goal with steps needed toward its accomplishment. Several times a week, I look at these goals and pray about them. I even tell others what they are so someone will hold me accountable. This careful organization especially motivates people who get satisfaction from checking “to-do” items off a list.
Finally, do our part. God will not “zap” our life while we sit in an easy chair. Take action on the”steps” remembering our part is important, but we won’t achieve godly goals without prayer and reliance upon God. It is obedience to His power at work in us that will see us through. Remember, prayerfully setting goals with continued prayer and appropriate action that is done in His newness of life will produce results.
Wearing make-over clothes isn’t so bad; but I have no desire for a patched-up, made-over lifestyle. God starts from scratch. He gives His people new life with white robes of righteousness when they believe in and receive His Son. He daily energizes that life as we submit to Him, enabling the accomplishment of the plans He puts in our hearts. He is the secret of keeping resolutions all year long!
Friday, November 22, 2013
Next Year? ................................. Parables 044
New Year’s Resolutions anyone? One dictionary defines a resolution as a “termination of an abnormal condition.”... ceasing to BE something that is not normal. Most resolutions are decisions to stop DOING unwanted behavior, and begin DOING new behavior. It would be interesting to take a look at resolutions from the point of view of BEING (or character), rather than DOING.
The human race, when first created, was perfect. Adam and Eve were innocent of sin, lived in harmony with each other and with their Creator. Their work was rewarding. They were content. And This was the norm, the way that they were supposed to be.
After Adam and Eve rebelled against God, they were no longer innocent but guilty. They were put out of the presence of God, and their normal, happy life became difficult, marked by sin, and diametrically opposite to the paradise they had been expelled from.
Since then, we have become so accustomed to our abnormal behavior that we tend to think of it as normal, except around New Years, when something stirs us to “turn over a new leaf,” “begin fresh,” or simply “do it right next year.”
However, the behaviors that we resolve to change are simply byproducts of our character, our BEING. Since New Year’s Resolutions generally take a swipe only at what we DO, our good intentions inevitably fail because we merely treat symptoms. And even if we wanted to, we cannot change what we ARE. We cannot terminate our abnormal condition. The Bible questions our ability to change ourselves with, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?” (Jeremiah 13:23)
But there is good news. God’s Word says much about the power of God to “make a new thing.” His creation gives examples, from the rising of a volcanic mountain off the flat ocean floor, to the metamorphosis of a butterfly from a fuzzy caterpillar. As for us humans, the Bible speaks of “putting off the old nature and putting on the new” and “walking in newness of life.”
It is possible to have new life. The source of this new life is Jesus Christ. In fact, He was so full of life that the grave could not hold Him.
1 John 5 says that anyone who has the Son (Jesus) has life, but those who do not have Christ, do not have life.
2 Corinthians 5:17 puts it this way, “If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
That means that a person who has received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of their life is made new, changed . . . given the capacity to live as they were intended to live, set free from guilt, restored to a right relationship with God, and changed. Actually, they have become normal.
This year, instead of making a list of resolutions of things to DO, a resolution that will perhaps run dry by January 30, try the definition of resolution that calls for an end to the abnormal condition of guilt and sin. Begin the new year with a new life, everlasting life, through a relationship with the only One who has that kind of life.
The human race, when first created, was perfect. Adam and Eve were innocent of sin, lived in harmony with each other and with their Creator. Their work was rewarding. They were content. And This was the norm, the way that they were supposed to be.
After Adam and Eve rebelled against God, they were no longer innocent but guilty. They were put out of the presence of God, and their normal, happy life became difficult, marked by sin, and diametrically opposite to the paradise they had been expelled from.
Since then, we have become so accustomed to our abnormal behavior that we tend to think of it as normal, except around New Years, when something stirs us to “turn over a new leaf,” “begin fresh,” or simply “do it right next year.”
However, the behaviors that we resolve to change are simply byproducts of our character, our BEING. Since New Year’s Resolutions generally take a swipe only at what we DO, our good intentions inevitably fail because we merely treat symptoms. And even if we wanted to, we cannot change what we ARE. We cannot terminate our abnormal condition. The Bible questions our ability to change ourselves with, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?” (Jeremiah 13:23)
But there is good news. God’s Word says much about the power of God to “make a new thing.” His creation gives examples, from the rising of a volcanic mountain off the flat ocean floor, to the metamorphosis of a butterfly from a fuzzy caterpillar. As for us humans, the Bible speaks of “putting off the old nature and putting on the new” and “walking in newness of life.”
It is possible to have new life. The source of this new life is Jesus Christ. In fact, He was so full of life that the grave could not hold Him.
1 John 5 says that anyone who has the Son (Jesus) has life, but those who do not have Christ, do not have life.
2 Corinthians 5:17 puts it this way, “If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
That means that a person who has received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of their life is made new, changed . . . given the capacity to live as they were intended to live, set free from guilt, restored to a right relationship with God, and changed. Actually, they have become normal.
This year, instead of making a list of resolutions of things to DO, a resolution that will perhaps run dry by January 30, try the definition of resolution that calls for an end to the abnormal condition of guilt and sin. Begin the new year with a new life, everlasting life, through a relationship with the only One who has that kind of life.
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