I hear a lot of talk about resolutions. A coworker asked me the other day if I had any resolutions.....all I could say is I would like to lose about 10 pounds.....but truthfully....if I don't, I won't be heartbroken. My athletic skills aren't the best, so exercising isn't a top priority. I used to love waking for excercise at my old house. I had a really good 3 mile route with hills and the track to run in the middle of the route. Then, we moved and the route I made is ok.....but I can't get into it like my old one. So I put some weight on. Whatever.....it's not the end of the world. Anyway, back to the subject.
Resolutions.....
I can't remember the last time I actually made a resolution. Probably as a teen or early 20s. My track record for keeping them isn't good either. I always have good intentions when it comes to diligence of them, but quickly lose focus and go back to my old ways. It's just how things are cause we are human.
So...I don't make resolutions anymore.....but I do strive to be a better person all through the year. What does this look like for me? Well.....I desire to love God better. I can do this by praying and reading His Word everyday. I can read books that help me grow spiritually also. I recently read one by Jen Wilkin, "None Like Him". It was an excellent book and talks of the attributes of a holy God. This book went hand in hand with "knowledge of thr Holy" by AW Tozer. Both are excellent books on the attributes of our God....such as His omnipresence and His omniscience.
I desire to love people better also.....how can I do this? I can pray for them, encourage them, have meaningful conversations with them, start a discipleship study, build relationships, and just spend time with people. People are important. Telling them the gospel of Jesus is most important. We need people to encourage and pray for us as well. Loving them better allows for a peaceful connection that may not have occurred otherwise.
I desire to be a better wife/mom. My kids are grown and it's different being a mom to grown up kids.....but I hope my kids know I always have their back and love them unconditionally. I try to listen and not make quick judgements of their choices. I want them to know I support them always. I want my husband to know these things as well. I'm not always the best person to be around....cause I can get in a mood now and then. I try not to let my bad mood affect others around me.....especially when I get hungry. I can get really bad when I haven't eaten in awhile. (This is a secret.....don't tell....haha) I am working on these things. Just because I'm having a rough time, no one else needs to deal with it, but me and God.
I desire to be a better ED tech at my job. Listening to patients and their many, many ailments can be exhausting. I need to ask God to give me the grace for others as He has given me. This will allow me to endure the neediness of some. I do love my job very much.....and I'm not complaining at all.....just some days are longer than others. Haha.
I desire to be a better church member. My church family is awesome. We may only see each other once a week, but it's a special time together worshiping our God. I desire to reach out better to those in my church family who need encouragement and love.
I desire to be a better daughter/sister/aunt to those in my family. Being there for them is very important. We may not live as close to each other as we once did, but the connections we all have won't ever be broken.
Though all these desires, God knows my heart. He knows what my intentions are and how to work in each of our lives to accomplish His will. When we allow God to use us, we can make a big impact for the glory of God and the kingdom. This is my desire most of all......to be used of my God for Hid purposes. It still baffles me why he chose me, but I won't argue.....I will trust and give
Him the glory He deserves in the process.....(at least try to)
I too am trying to be a better person, so hopefully God will get his glory, but it is not always easy.
ReplyDeleteI still find myself getting agitated when people do things i don't like. Today we took our granddaughter to Chucky Cheese and on the way out a young girl was working at the door and she had an attitude, and instead of me just walking out and praying for her, I had to make a comment about how much she loved her job. I should have been praying for her instead of complaining to myself about her.
There are times when watch the news and I don't like certain stories. Instead of praying for them i get upset.
Still there are times i don't agree with someone on what they say or what they do, and instead of praying for them i get upset.
If you are seeing a pattern of not being a better person you are correct. When i do the things above, i am not giving God his glory. There are times when i do some things that hopefully make me a better person, land hopefully give God some glory, like donating to certain ministries or just praying for others, but i need to be better.
I have been reading and studying and trying to learn about how i can be closer to God and in doing so, I am forgetting to love my neighbors. I am forgetting the most important way of giving him his glory, and that's by obeying his commands, and showing love to others as he has showed to me, as he still shows me even when i don't deceiver it. I am convinced that showing love is the true way to give God his glory and that will be what i (try) to do more of this year.
I guess i still have a long way to go to give God his glory.
Bruce.....Giving God glory is not only in loving acts toward others, but when we study and learn and grow, we give Him glory also. He's provided His word and godly teachers and resources to know Him better. This is Him getting glory as well. We have to live as people in this crazy world and try to not fall into the patterns of it. These are hard things to do its not easy to live for God among the ungodly. I understand all this. It's like we are made the complete opposite of what God expects of us. We are made that way so we can know our need of a savior. If we acted and did the right thing every minute of every day, Jesus wouldn't be necessary. We have to realize that every situation and trial we go through first passes through our God. Then we get to be made more like Jesus!! All we go through is to sanctify us!
ReplyDeleteMy desires to love people and God better is something I've been working on for quite some time. I will fall.....I will stumble.....I will have an attitude......I will be lazy at times.....I will be angry......I will be frustrated.....but being human is hard. The flesh takes over and get selfish. Thank God He is full of grace and mercy. My ultimate goal in this life is to hear....."well done, good and faithful servant"......one day when I meet Jesus face to face. Then all of it will be worth it.
I think you are well on way to hearing God say " well done " or " Good job ".... I think things that you have done like the neighborhood prayer is showing the kind of love that God shows us, and living as Jesus commands. I think all of you that have gone out doing those things really gives God his glory... You are not just talking the talk, but you are walking the walk.
ReplyDeleteWe have been listening to and enjoying CD's on different messages about God, Jesus, faith and so on. I love the music CD that Tracy made for me for my baptism and we listen to it to the point i think i'm going to wear it out. We read the bible together and talk over the things we read.
In one of the things i saw or heard a line that said. " Most people either never see the miracles of God or they see them everywhere". I was a person that went from never seeing miracles to seeing them everywhere. This had helped me want to learn more about God and want to a better follower of Jesus Christ. I certainly will do all that you mentioned above, but I don't like when i do. One thing that i see and have seen in my life throughout the church even from years ago is people that focus on studying and researching things to the point they forget to live what they have put all the time in learning. I don't want to be that type of person. Having said that, it does not mean i will stop reading or studying or researching, but i'm going to try harder to live for God and not just learn about him.
One of the things we listened to was a series on having an intimate relationship with God. I would love to be able to talk to God like Moses did. I thought that would make me special and secure me a spot in heaven. However, what i am learning with the help of my wife is that i just need to love others more, be a better follower of Jesus and do it all because i love God and because i am grateful for all he has done for me and not focus my attention on breaking down every word or verse in the bible. To take to bible as a whole and make it the way i give God his glory.
You are well on your way. look how far you have come!
ReplyDeleteI know we've had discussions before of studying and learning and not acting on it. I agree that knowledge is great, but it does need to be used. But think of it this way. Those that study a lot.....at least the ones I know......teach. Teaching is a gift from God that not all poses. They are great teachers to those that want to learn. So, they are doing something with the knowledge they are getting. They are living it out by making disciples. And the disciples they make will make other disciples.....and so on. This is a command from our God. We need to go into the world and make disciples and we can't do that properly if we don't have proper knowledge of the God we speak of and love so much.
just another angle to look at things......☺️