By: Rex Stump
New Year’s resolutions. Did you make one? Often, we have good intentions to hit the restart button in our lives and say things like, “This year I’m going to…” and you can fill in the blank. In sports, in school, at work, in our marriages, relationships, driving skills, health, and spiritual issues we all have areas we want to improve.
One of my favorite lines from a movie comes from Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, when Azeem (Morgan Freeman) tells Robin Hood (Kevin Costner), “There are no perfect men in the world; only perfect intentions.” True.
How often do we make plans or say, “I’m going to do this better”? How many times do our great and perfect intentions and plans for improvement slip to the wayside?
We forget or we get busy; we fail to prioritize, we lack discipline, etc. That is often the fate of New Year’s resolutions. That is often how we feel walking away from a Sunday morning worship service. “I ought to”…”I should”…soon becomes a good intention and then gets lost in the “too late” file.
It’s never too late to move from good intentions to accomplishing your goal. I’m encouraged by Paul and other writers in the Bible who urged us to remain, to stick with it, and to follow through with our intentions and goals.
In 2 Timothy 3:14-16 Paul urges Timothy to, “stay away” or to turn another direction from the things in life that destroy us, that cause us to be lazy, or keep us from God.
Paul says he has a roadmap to help us make great decisions and experience blessings. The map is God’s Word. He implores us to remain faithful to it; let it stick to you like glue.
Read it; teach it to your children and grandchildren. But the key is to “remain” or to follow through. Good intentions don’t accomplish goals or help us reach our destination. We have to actually do something.
I’m not sure what goals or intentions you have for this year, this season of your life, so may I suggest one? Remain in God’s Word.
The Bible is God’s Message to us, directions for life, and a way to know Him better. It’s never too late to get into God’s Word.
It’s never too late to read the word of God and learn more about the God who loves you, the Savior that lived and died for you, and His directions to help you navigate through a world of spiritual landmines.
God has been here through all eternity. He was here in the beginning, creating all things. (Genesis 1:1) We can trust Him and His Words to guide us, teach us, and encourage us. There are all kinds of resources to help you start a daily reading plan – so, go do it!
James 1:21-22, “So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”
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Rex Stump is the Area Director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and serves as a Pastor at True North Church in Wauseon, Ohio.