As the new year arrived, most of us started thinking of our New Year’s resolutions. As I was thinking of mine, this song came to mind. Have you read the words to this old hymn? Really, read the words.
I am resolved no longer to linger,
Charmed by the world’s delight;
Things that are higher, things that are nobler,
These have allured my sight.Refrain
I will hasten to Him, Hasten so glad and free,
Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to Thee.
I am resolved to go to the Savior, Leaving my sin and strife;
He is the true one, He is the just one,
He hath the the words of life.Refrain
I am resolved to follow the Savior, Faithful and true each day;
Heed what He sayeth, do what He willeth,
He is the living way.Refrain
I am resolved to enter the kingdom, Leaving the paths of sin;
Friends may oppose me, foes may beset me,
Still will I enter in.Refrain
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 heav’nly way.Refrain
We all have made a resolution before. Some resolve to lose weight, be healthy, go back to school…the list goes on. How many of us resolve to make changes in our relationship with God? Do we hasten to Him? Do we take everything to God first or do we wait until we are at the end of our rope?
I know I do not always take things to God first. I am a sinner and I sin (probably every day). Our goal as Christians is to be like Christ. To run from sin. This will not always make us popular with “friends”. I do things without praying for guidance all the time.
Of course, when something happens, I turn to God. My family has been through so much this past year, from my son’s horrific car wreck to my husband’s heart attack to my own health scare to my oldest son going off to college. Through all those things, I turned to God first. I remember not being able to pray when my husband had his heart attack, but I asked everyone to pray. I could feel God’s presence the entire time. I knew that even if I couldn’t pray, others could pray for me.
We usually pray about the “big” things, but what about the “small” things ? God cares about everything that we do. I remember when my children were little and I had two in a stroller and a five year old. Going to the mall was a nightmare. I had a lady tell me that she always prayed for a good parking space at the mall. I then started praying about that and God answered those prayers. That may sound trivial, but for me it was huge. (I no longer pray for parking because I figure another mom with small children needs it more. Besides, I could use the exercise.) Remember, if it is important to us, it is important to God.
Prayer is not the only way to put God first. A quiet time in the morning helps to set the tone for the day for me. I like to spend time in His Word in the morning. I can tell when I don’t have my time with the Lord. Quiet time does not always have to be quiet. I feel such a deep feeling of worship when I play the old hymns on my piano. There are times that I play and tears just stream down my face. The words and music just touch me so deeply. Sometimes, I sing in the car (when I’m by myself because nobody wants to hear that.) There are so many ways to spend time with God throughout the day.
We should also be sharing the gospel. This can be scary. It is easy to talk about Christmas with fellow Christians but sometimes it’s difficult to share Christmas with non-believers. If we remember that salvation is a gift that God gave us, then we should share that gift with others. All they have to do is accept His gift of salvation. We should want to share it.
So this year, I am resolved to focus more on God and take everything to Him first and share His gift of salvation.
What is your New Year’s resolution for this year?
What are some things you do to stay close to God?
Do you find it difficult to share Christmas with others?
What are some ways that you use to share the gospel?
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