How about a New Year’s Resolution?
I was hoping to lose a couple of dress sizes in 2013. After I thought about it, I knew the reality is that I probably won’t do it. After all, I haven’t kept other resolutions I’ve made… like learning to control the weather or inventing shoes that tie themselves.
Then I found this. This is a good resolution for people like me.
Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah 43:18-19
God never wants us to look backwards. In fact, He gave us a way to erase those “things” in our past and replaced the blues with new songs and thoughts of hope.
Still sometimes we don’t seem to be able to help it. We remember all the failures and regret our mistakes.
Sure, I would do a lot of things differently if I could go back in time. But it’s really time to look at the road ahead rather than in the rear view mirror.
Seems God wants to do a new thing in our lives anyway.
Cheers!
Edited 12/30/2012
Jethro was the first of several family dogs. We adopted Jethro for free through an ad in the local paper. I use the term "free" loosely because in reality Jethro quickly became a financial liability. He had several altercations with automobiles and was involved in a scandal with the neighbors registered Alaskan Husky. He developed heart disease and had several emergency surgeries.
For many years he was my constant companion. He loved the outdoors and became my fishing partner. Jethro was a faithful friend and would have readily given his life to protect our family. Jethro was old enough to get his drivers license and just shy of registering to vote when he died.
Jethro wasn’t particularly handsome and when it comes to brains...lets just say Jethro was "special" if you know what I mean. Like myself, Jethro also had a sinful nature.
Jethro had many bad habits like fighting and eating the neighbors chickens to name a few. Many moons ago he and I both were known to drink a little bit on the weekends. I had to bail Jethro out of jail more than once in our seventeen year friendship.
Jethro could make me as mad as I can get but I loved Jethro. I loved Jethro enough to do anything I could to protect him from his own demise. I spent countless dollars and time over the years to contain Jethro and respect my neighbors right to illegally raise farm animals in a residential area. On one occasion I drew plans and spent four days constructing a state of the art, high security prison complex to incarcerate him in. On the day I introduced Jethro to his new environment he made it back to the house before I did. Nothing seemed to deter the wilder side of Jethro.
In a final attempt to end Jethro's life of crime I purchased and installed an electric fence charger. In his first encounter with electricity Jethro danced around like a Holy Roly preacher at a late July tent revival. In a few hours Jethro was transformed in to a model prisoner. He never attempted a jailbreak again. Within a few days I unplugged the charger and gave it to a friend.
The truth is that after I unplugged the electric fence, Jethro could have bolted for freedom at any time of his choosing. Nothing had changed. Jethro could still dig as deep and jump as high as he ever could but he never tried to escape again. All I had to do was deceive Jethro into believing that that there was nothing he could do and then I was able to move on to other challenges.
Satan often uses the same tactics.
Satan convinces older people that they are too old to serve and that we won’t listen to them anyway. Satan tells Deacons that they cannot teach or lead us in prayer. Satan tells Christians that they are more suited to behind the scene tasks and that others are better equipped to sit down with someone and lead them to Christ. Satan tells the small neighborhood church that they don't have the resources to effectively reach the community.
Don't let the lies of Satan make you an inmate in an artificial prison.
