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Jan 22, 2021 08:00am

Your Resolution May Not Work Without This

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In just the first few weeks of the new year national events have already incited anger, division, confusion and the feeling of the 2020 status quo.

The pandemic is on the surge, the capitol has been stormed, and the president-elect is set to be inaugurated soon.

Meanwhile, many of us have been thinking about how we want this year to be different and how we can make resolutions to help us achieve our goals.

The problem – only eight percent of people succeed with their resolutions.

So how do we be that eight percent? By setting realistic expectations or by being motivated to succeed.

An always-popular resolution is to exercise more or to eat healthier. This might be because of marketing, holiday weight-gain, or even COVID-19. Or we all want to be super in-shape and to take care of our bodies – but it’s more difficult to follow through.

How does the person motivated for success achieve his or her resolutions? If they care about them, they probably have someone or a group of someones keeping them accountable. If it’s exercising, they have a “gym buddy”. If it’s reading the Bible in a year, they have a friend who’s on the same reading plan to discuss it with. If it’s academic related, they have set up a way to receive lessons (like music endeavors or registering for collegiate classes).

There is one man in the Bible who was given a resolution to complete, and it involved walking away from everything he had ever known for the promise of something eternal.

Most of us are familiar with this man – his name was Abram until God changed it to Abraham.

One day, God said to this patriarch: “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him to (Genesis 12:1-4).

God made a promise to Abram – and it would be another 25 years before Isaac, the next step of making a “great nation”, would be born.

25 years.

Abram didn’t know how long it would take, God said to go, and he went! And because Abram was faithful, God fulfilled his promise.

Abram was the father of the nation of Israel (Israel being the name of his grandson, Jacob).

And through Israel came the messiah – Jesus Christ in whom “all peoples on earth will be blessed,” as he came to save not just the Jew, but the gentile as well. He came to seek and save the lost.

God is faithful and he fulfills his promises – he’s definitely in the eight percent category.

What does this mean for us?

2021 may be another bumpy ride, we may fail at fulfilling our resolutions, but God will never fail.

A “resolution” is a decision to do something – that’s all it is.

This year decide to put your faith in God. Go where he tells you to go, be open to hearing his voice through his Word, and be faithful to him in all of your endeavors

In love and truth,
Melody