Resolutions
The start of a new year often brings with it the promise of change and self-improvement. We all have high hopes for ourselves, dreaming up grand visions of how we will be healthier, happier, and more successful in the coming months. Unfortunately, our best intentions are often dashed against reality as we struggle to balance our responsibilities and obligations with our own personal goals. To make matters worse, many of us fall into bad habits that can hinder our progress toward achieving those goals. But if you’re willing to put in some work, there are steps you can take to break these patterns and create better outcomes for yourself this year.
We go out of our way to try to better ourselves with resolutions and promises of being better people and being better at our bodies than they have been in the past.
The problem is that we are not capable of doing and being everything that we need for ourselves or others.
We psych ourselves up and the biggest part of the time we end with even bigger and deep disappointment because we did fail to reach that goal or accomplishment, we set out to do. We tend to forget that in order for us to reach our goals and be the best version of ourselves, we need to create a plan. It is time for us to slow down and think about what are the steps needed for us to actually make these resolutions come true.
Today I have a message of encouragement that comes from only Jesus.
“When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus ask Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?” John 21:15
Jesus has a wonderful way of restoring us when we fail Him!
Unlike the world around us, He does not humiliate us.
He does not criticize us.
He does not ask us to make a resolution to try harder.
Rather, He takes us aside and asks us to reaffirm our love for Him.
And when we do, He gives us His grace and mercy.
We may not have the same faith as Simon Peter, but Jesus can still help us reach our goals with courage and strength.
He is a loving Savior who cares for each of His redeemed.
He provides guidance and direction so that we can make the changes we want to see in our lives.
So, as you make resolutions and plans for this new year, don’t forget that Jesus is the key to unlocking your potential.
Jesus is fully aware of what is inside of you. He, with the guidance of His spirit, will help you to see that potential released into the world for His glory. Jesus' greatest desire is to see your potential realized and lived out in you in the fullest measure.
Jesus has placed within each of us a potential that is unlike anything else in the world. It is a power that comes from the knowledge and understanding of God's love for us, and how that love can be used to shape our lives for the better. What makes this potential so special is that it never fades or diminishes, regardless of what we face or how far we fall. With Jesus, the possibilities are endless!
We may perceive failure as a sign of weakness and emptying, yet Jesus views it as an opportunity to widen and deepen our potential.
In this upcoming year, let us all fix our eyes on seeking God's holy direction in our lives and draw on His strength to overcome whatever hindrances block our path.
Peter miserably failed his Lord when he fled with the other disciples from the garden of Gethsemane.
Later, he publicly denied that he even knew Jesus.
Peter must have wondered if he had been capable of being Jesus’ disciple when he was unfaithful to Jesus in his most critical hour.
One of the biggest hours of disappointment that we might experience is when our best efforts in reaching a goal are not rewarded. We set out with ambitious intentions, believing that if we work hard and give it our all, that success will be ours for the taking. However, this is often not the case as, despite our best efforts, we can experience failure.
But no matter how much we fail, one thing will never change: Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ loves us unconditionally. He does not look at the failures of our past but at the potential of what we can become with Him guiding our way.
As you begin a new year, you may be painfully aware that you have failed your Lord in many ways.
Perhaps you were not faithful.
Perhaps you disobeyed His word to you.
Perhaps you denied Him by the way you lived.
Jesus will take you aside, as he did Peter.
He will not berate you. He will not smack you down.
He will not humiliate you.
He will ask you to examine your love for Him.
He asked Peter, do you love Me?
If your answer, like Peters, is yes Lord He will reaffirm His will for you.
If you truly love Him, you will obey Him (John 14:15).
Jesus does not need your resolutions, your recommitments, or your promises to try harder this year.
If your resolve to obey God last year did not help you to be faithful, it will not make you successful this year.
If we keep our love for Him as priority number one, then our life will reflect more of what He has for us.
Jesus asked for your love.
If you truly love Him, your service for Him in the new year will be of the quality that He desires.
In restoration, Jesus will not humiliate you in front of others.
He will lift you publicly.
