The Resolution that makes all the others possible

The year begins with big ideas and lofty goals. Then without notice hours turn to days, days to weeks, and weeks to months until suddenly we are back where we started- at January 1st again- with not much accomplished. Life seems so temporal- because it is.

So what can we do about the fact that life passes us by and we only seem to spin our wheels? The answer, though it doesn’t seem intuitive, is to slow down.

Unplug. Read. Reflect. Pray. Prioritize.

Unplug – Put away the electronic devices and turn off the TV. Get a warm drink (it is January after all) and just relax.

Read – Start a Bible reading plan if you haven’t already, and dive into today’s reading. Not a Christian? Start reading the bible anyway, your life will be changed because of it. Begin in the New Testament. The Gospel of John is always a good place to start.

Reflect on your reading. If you have a reading partner, ask and answer each others questions.

Pray for understanding. Get a Study Bible and reliable Bible commentary. Refer to them as you have time, but make the daily Bible reading your priority.

Prioritize – Finally, before turning your electronic devices back on, take a moment to prioritize what you will accomplish the rest of the day, over the next couple of days, and the week to come.

Busyness becomes a distraction, and will ultimately destroy us as our hectic daily schedules take over any sort of calm in our lives. Then, before you know it, years go by and not much gets accomplished. Only by reclaiming our time by simply slowing down do we gain the upper hand.

For the Christian the quiet time with Our Creator and His Word nourishes our soul like nothing else. To grow in a relationship with Jesus Christ is the one resolution that makes all the others possible.

12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me (Phil 4:12-13).

Finally, don’t try to go through life alone. Seek a local church community.