Saturday, December 29, 2012

3 Simple Steps to a Successful 2013




Every year brings the normal discussions. Examples are: “This year I am resolving to lose weight”, “I want to read through the Bible this year", and so on.  We have all heard and said New Year’s resolutions that in many cases never find fruition.  

I’m not interested in this article to explore how to keep resolutions; rather, what should our resolutions be.  My question for you is this: If we were to sit down and write out our resolutions of 2013 on paper, how many would we write before we saw any regarding our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?

I am guilty!  I write things dealing with work, family, fitness, skills, and many more.  Finally, I write something along the lines of memorizing more scripture, or telling more people about Christ.  I’m not saying that work, family, fitness, skills, etc. are not things to desire higher efficiency or productivity, but I challenge myself on the order of my priorities!

So, what are some steps we can take to make sure our goals and resolutions for the New Year are in the right order of priority?

1.       Be still                                                                              

Psalm 46:10 tells us; “Be still and know that I am God…”  The idea here is “to stop!!”
               
Stop working so hard for a little bit! 
Stop trying to make your life pieces fit so perfectly in your mind!
Stop trying to force what you think God’s will is for your life!
Stop yelling at your kids for making you “look bad”!
Stop worrying about what people think of you!

Take a break and BE STILL!!  Know that God is in control!  The rest of the verse says, “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”  Why do we work so hard to make a name for ourselves, when the only NAME that matters is JESUS!!

2.     Put first things first

 Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Our first priority is the Kingdom of God.  What are “these things” that will be added?
               
      We seek great blessings and reputation!  We seek promotions and prestige!  But what if we sought the greatness of God?  What if we asked God to liberally pour out to us His unmerited grace that we can shine the kingdom of God to others we come in contact with?  What if we sought to be great in the kingdom of God, rather than this kingdom of men?

                If we seek eternal wealth, the wealth we desire on earth will come to pass!  It may be that because of our eternal focus, we have NO desire to partake of the things only this world has to offer.  However, the things that accompany our eternal treasure, which we all should be laying up, will be provided by our heavenly father! 

3.   Make note of time wasters

Find a quiet place and review 2012 with a piece of paper in hand.  Write down the things in your life that you would classify as time wasters:
 
                Examples could be TV, Facebook, and certain  acquaintances.



Ephesians 5:15-16:                                                                                       
         “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
                We are to be careful in how we live, and not be wasteful or unwise with our time.  The word “redeeming” is the idea to purchase or buy up from the possession or power of others.  We need to protect our time from wasteful activities, and use our time more for the kingdom of God!
There are so many other things that could be said about prioritizing our New Year resolutions!  But I am confident that if you are still, put God first, and use your gift of time for the Kingdom and not waste it on insignificant things; you will have a much more productive 2013!!

For HIS Glory,
Nate

2 comments:

  1. Great advice, Nate, and Bible-based! If we are still and draw near to Him, He will be near to us (James 4:8). Then we will delight in Him and He will grant us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4), because these desires will be conformed to His perfect will. The result of these desires is that we will want to spend our time and resources in ways that honor Him.

    That being said, the world, the devil and the flesh will do all they can to keep us from His work, so we must be vigilant (1 Peter 5:8).

    Thanks for the great post, & Happy New Year!
    Laurie
    http://savedbygracebiblestudy.blogspot.com/

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  2. Thank you Laurie, and great add-on thoughts:)

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