New Year's Resolutions

I have to admit I never really understood the whole excitement over New Year's Eve. I mean really you are just hanging up a new calendar, which tracks a relatively arbitrary method of keeping track of time. Different cultures and different calendars all have different starting points. I do, however, find the idea of making New Year's resolutions to be an interesting concept. We make a list of things we would like to change about ourselves, or do differently in the coming year. It is a time of introspection, a time when we seek to admit that there are things in our lives that we would like to change. I have done this in respect to my walk with Christ. I try to find character flaws or habits that I would like to change, in order to be more obedient to God, to bring more glory to Him by the way I live my life. As time goes on and I am less than successful at accomplishing my list of goals, I find that there have been changes in my life, but they were not the things I thought were priorities. God, in His sovereignty is constantly sanctifying His children, conforming them to the image of His Son. It is humbling to realize that what I thought were my biggest shortfalls, are not what God considers to be my most glaring failures. The things that hinder my fellowship with Him, most often were things I was not even aware of. I find that God is best served by my willingness to listen, to be aware of the whispers of what He is accomplishing in my sanctification process, instead of putting my head down and plowing through with my agenda. I find I am usually plowing the wrong row! So at this time of year, seek God's face, ask Him what it is that He wants to purify in you. You may or may not get a clear answer. In either case, walk softly, listen and trust that He will complete the work that He started in you, and yield to His Holy Spirit. In this way He gets the glory, and you will not glory in your will power and dedication to change yourself. In our weakness His strength is glorified, and in His omniscience He will cause all things to work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. Seek His agenda, not ours.