I Am Resolved

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13

January 1st is just around the corner, and with it comes a new year full of hope and possibilities. Many of us make resolutions… promises to affect positive changes in our lives. While we hope these plans for change will last, often it is difficult to keep many of these resolution over time.

God has hopes and plans for us as well. They are not made on a yearly basis, but rather His plans for us started the moment we accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, receiving His salvation through the forgiveness of our sins. From that time on, God began working in us “both to will and to do…”

According to Philippians 2:12, we are to work out our salvation (not work for it!). That is, when we are saved, we begin to alter our lives to demonstrate the changes wrought by Christ in us. Sometimes those changes are dramatic; sometimes not so much. Sometimes the changes are only inward, and other times, they are outward. Either way, change is there. When this happens, there is a reverential awe (“…fear and trembling”)that only comes from understanding the source of these changes in our lives. It is truly amazing to see the difference that Christ makes in a person’s life. The work of God is beginning. He opens our eyes to a better way (His will) through His Word, and then enables us to act upon that understanding through His power.

How long will this last? Unlike our resolutions that may fade by February, the Bible tells us in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” That means God’s work in us will continue until we pass from this earth to heaven through a physical death, or we meet Him in the air! (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

As 2020 looms ahead, make it a year to get to know God more intimately through the reading of His Word. As you learn more through the Scriptures, you will also gain a greater desire to put His will into action, thus bringing Him “good pleasure,” and joy unspeakable to your heart!

Happy New Year!

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.

I will hasten to Him,
Hasten so glad and free;
Jesus, greatest, highest,
I will come to Thee.

(from “I Am Resolved” by Palmer Hartsough)

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

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Standing on God’s promises is a great way to begin the new year!