New Year's Resolution

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otseng
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New Year's Resolution

Post #1

Post by otseng »

As we approach the New Year, many are resolving to make changes in their life - read the Bible more (or to just start reading the Bible), pray more, give to others more, volunteer more, help others more, etc. All of these things are noble things to do and we should pursue them. But, often when we start these things, we get excited for a while and do it for a little bit, then go back to our old habits.

One reason we can’t sustain our good intentions is the motivation for why we do these things. Do we just want to project a good image for others to see? Do we seek acceptance of others? Do we do things out of duty or guilt? Do we want to make ourselves look good? Do we seek approval from God?

Another reason we can’t sustain it is we run out of will power. We enthusiastically resolve to read through the Bible in a year, but after a few weeks, the will power runs out and we put away the Bible plan.

Ironically, the way to do good things is to acknowledge that we are weak and cannot do any good things in our own power.

By our nature, there is no good in us. Goodness only comes from God. “And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.� (Mark 10:18)

We are not able to achieve anything good in our lives by our own strength. Jesus said apart from him we can do nothing. "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15:5)

It is not through our strength we can do anything good. Only through Christ can we do anything good. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13)

The way to go up in God’s kingdom is to go down. When we humble ourselves and cry out to God for his strength and power, then are we able to do any good. "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:29-31)

We can do good things when our motivation is simply to be like Jesus. As Christians, that’s what it should all be about, to be Christ-like. We are to be a disciple of Jesus, which simply means to follow and obey him.

One test to show if we have the right motivation for doing good things is asking, “How would I feel if I do these good things and nobody else knows about it?� If we feel the need to let others know about the good things we do, we are doing it with the wrong heart.

Another test is “Do I feel God would accept me more if I do these things?� If we feel God loves us more if we do good things, then we have the wrong attitude. God’s acceptance and love for us does not change based on how many good (or bad) things we do.

Our resolution for New Year’s should then simply be … to be less of myself and to be more like Jesus. We acknowledge that we cannot do any good thing in our strength, but only through the grace of God. We do good things because we want to be like Jesus. We should have less of ourselves in our life and more of Jesus in us.

"He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30)

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Re: New Year's Resolution

Post #2

Post by JehovahsWitness »

[Replying to post 1 by otseng]

Nice question. My resolutions related to study and meditation are.
  • Pray more, and prayer better.
  • Learn at least one bible text by heart a week.
  • Memorize as many of our religious songs as possible.
  • Spend at least 50% of an allocated bible study period in meditation.


JW
INDEX: More bible based ANSWERS
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 81#p826681


"For if we live, we live to Jehovah, and if we die, we die to Jehovah. So both if we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah" -
Romans 14:8

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