Resolutions

Psalm 1:1-6

      I’ve made up my mind. I am not going to make any New Year’s resolutions this year. Oops, I just blew it, didn’t I! It can be a hard thing to resist using this change of the calendar as an opportunity to make a change, start something new, drop an unwanted habit. But good intentions are not enough. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions, as the old saying goes. So how do we make changes in our lives?

      This Psalm, a song used in worship down through the ages, gives us some hints into some things we can do to make permanent kinds of changes in our lives. This is not so much a ‘to do’ manual, but a glimpse into what a surrendered heart looks like, when that heart is surrendered to the LORD.

      In some corners of the Church today people respond to the question, “How are you doing?” with the words, “I’m blessed.” There may be some extra words or phrases added on to this, but having the ‘blessing’ is important. Being blessed by the LORD is a central outcome of a proper relationship with Him. If we are rightly related, no sin unconfessed, no part of us unyeilded, then we are under God’s blessing.

      When the children of Israel were exiting Egypt from 400 years of slavery, Moses was obedient in conveying the message of blessing and cursing, blessing on obedience, and cursing on disobedience. I’m not talking about swear words hear, but a posture of being and living in tune with the will of God for our lives. When we line up with what the LORD is doing in the world, we will be moving in conjunction with His movements. We won’t be swimming against His stream. We will join energies with His and be swept along on His strength. Much better than constantly pushing against His power.

      When we are under the blessing, the LORD is watching over us. He keeps His protective eye on our path, ensuring the outcome is best for us. This doesn’t mean there won’t be some bumps in the road, some obstacles to be overcome, but that in the end, He will receive glory for what has happened and we will understand how even the ‘bad’ things worked for our good. This can be hard to see when we are in the middle of the weeds. But when we are able to see the circumstances from His perspective, we will be able to see the blessing.

      So in order to be in that blessed place we are called to change where we walk, stand and sit. I’m not talking about calling UHaul and arranging for your next move. I am talking about choosing the company that we keep, the sources of advice and news about the world, and the way we conduct business. There should be difference in the way we live our lives because we are lining up with the holy character of the LORD. Let me give you one example as a way to illustrate this.

      Honesty in business and our personal lives can bring great blessing. If we are always looking for a way to cut corners, just getting by, taking what is ours, bleeding the customer, supplier and employee for every last dime, we will be in a lonely place. We may make some extra cash along the way, but no one will be at our side on the journey except thieving, manipulating people just like us. So when the temporary good times end, and the natural curse on evil behavior comes, there will be no one to act charitably toward you.

      We need to watch where and with whom we walk the roads of life. Our companions along the journey will influence us, and us them. If we choose selfish people with whom to share our journey, we will have to become more selfish in order to survive in that relationship. If we choose the ‘get rich quick’ people, we will always be checking to see if our wallet is intact. But if we choose generous people, we will have the freedom to be generous as well. It is easy to slide down hill into bankrupt choices when the crowd we walk with is making those same choices. But if we hang around with those who are choosing to walk in step with the LORD, our steps become more easily in tune with His.

      When we must pause and seek advice, from whom do we seek it? Are they in tune with the eternal design of God? Are they blessed? If not, then we can’t possibly expect their advice to bring the blessing of God. At most they will provide advice that will keep us locked into the same steps that brought us to this point. We need godly counsel, not the same old words that failed to bring the blessing.

      The source of blessing comes in understanding and properly relating to the God who revealed Himself in the Scriptures. So when we read, understand, and meditate on His Word, we are tuning in to His frequency, yielding to His will. We need to discover what He wants to say to us by allowing His Spirit to take His Word and apply it to our hearts and lives. When that happens, we become blessed.

      So resolve to be in His word to a greater degree this year, allowing Him to speak, and then submitting yourself to His plan. Swim the direction He is moving. Line up with His character. Become blessed.