Resolutions
RESOLUTIONS
Read Psalm 61:1-8.
Every year Jack cleaned out his desk on New Year’s Eve. Usually he found lots of good stuff that he had forgotten about. His desktop was soon piled high with old school papers, the birthday card he had gotten from his sister, empty pop cans, and even a five-dollar bill. Jack was reading a list of New Year’s resolutions when he was interrupted by a knock on his bedroom door. “May I come in?” It was Dad.
“Sure, if you don’t mind a mess,” answered Jack. “I was just reading the resolutions I made last year and didn’t keep. Here’s one that says, ‘Keep desk clean!’”
Dad grinned as he sat down on the bed. “What else did you write?”
“‘Read Bible every day,’” read Jack. “I tried to do that, Dad, but I usually got busy or forgot about it. Maybe I’ll skip making New Year’s resolutions. That way I won’t break them.”
“When your mom and I were first married, we made a list of goals,” Dad said. “But it wasn’t until we turned that goal list into a prayer list that we saw progress.”
“So you think I should pray about my New Year’s resolutions?” Jack asked.
“You can either quit making resolutions or you can ask God to help you,” said Dad.
“This year, I’ll talk to the Lord about my goals,” Jack said.
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Have you decided over and over again to read your Bible every day, or to tell someone about the Lord? Have you been determined to get your homework done every night and then forgotten about it by the middle of the semester? Commit your plans to God. Ask Him for the courage and strength to succeed.
TO MEMORIZE:
Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed.
Proverbs 16:3
SUCCEED IN GOD’S STRENGTH.
From the book
