Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account. —Oscar Wilde
Most of our New Year’s resolutions don’t survive through Valentine’s Day. By then, it’s too late to cancel the year-long contract at the gym. The budget is blown by a couple of extra dinners out a week, and it looks like we’ll need most of the spring break to catch up on our “read through the Bible in a year” program. We want to do what it takes, but it doesn’t take long to realize that our accounts are empty. We don’t have what we need in our account to pay for what we’ve resolved to do.
Why are we so notoriously poor at fulfilling resolutions? For starters, we tend to be so consumed with outward appearances, possessions, our health, and our finances that we miss the main point of life itself: To know God and enjoy Him forever. Instead, we try to do it on our own.
In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps. (Proverbs 16:9)
The steps Christ determines for us always lead toward more dependency on His resources and less on our own. This next year, will you rest in Christ and enjoy the promise of His presence moment by moment? Or will you latch onto your agenda and fight for it in your own strength?
Jesus, I hold my plans loosely. Prepare me to be ready to change course on a moment’s notice as You direct my steps this next year! I believe in You, and I trust You. Amen.