I Give Up. Dealing with Resolutions.

res•o•lu•tion

ˌrezəˈlo͞oSH(ə)n/

noun

1.    a firm decision to do or not to do something.

synonyms: intention, resolve, decision, intent, aim, plan,
 commitment, pledge, promise

In January we hear this word more often than we do

the other eleven months of the year.

A new year, a blank page in front of us,

makes us hopeful that things can change.

That as humans, we can change.

And so we resolve.  We commit.

We determine to be better,

to do things differently this year.

 

More often than not, we fail, statistics say.

Our resolves grow weak.

Our commitment and determination wanes

as real life becomes hard.

And as we, in our humanness, are still

… human.

What if, instead of mustering up our resolve,

we just gave up?

What if instead of promising to do or to be someone new,

we relinquished our rights to ourselves?

What if we surrendered?

What if we said, “Okay God, anything You say.”

Would things change?

Would I, on the inside, change?

What if my whole mindset for doing things changed?

Rather than resolve to get up earlier, what if I gave in to God?

What if I said “Okay God, You want me to get up?

I’ll do it Your way not mine.”

Or instead of promising not to overdo what I eat

when I sit down to a meal, I’d surrender and say,

“Okay God, I’ll do this Your way.”

Would our lives be different if we

simply surrendered instead of resolved?

Jesus said,

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,

for I am gentle and humble in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11: 28-30

“Come, all you who are thirsty,

come to the waters;

and you who have no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without cost.

Why spend money on what is not bread,

and your labor on what does not satisfy?

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,

and you will delight in the richest of fare.

Seek the LORD while he may be found;

call on him while he is near.

Let the wicked forsake their ways

and the unrighteous their thoughts.

Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them,

and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,”

declares the LORD.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:1,2 and 6-9

Jesus said:

“I am the vine; you are the branches.

If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;

apart from me you can do nothing.

If you do not remain in me,

you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers;

such branches are picked up,

thrown into the fire and burned.”

John 15:5,6

 In Jesus there is power! 
It comes to us when we give ourselves to Him.  
We will never have it by
 resolving harder,
 trying harder, 
working harder. 
We have His power when we give up everything 
and rest in Him.