******* REVIVAL FIRE!!! *******
a New Year greeting from Pastors Rich and Lindy Oliver and all the gang at
Revival Fire , The River, and Family......
Lament. 5:21
Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may return;
renew our days as of oldLindy and I love youand bless you on thisthe first day of2009.We look forward to growing inthe Lord together this new Yearand to all that HEhas for us all.We Thank God foryou and yourprayers and support.blessingsRich and Lindy Oliver
Question: "What sort of New Year's Resolution should a Christian make?"
Answer: The practice of making New Year's resolutions goes back over 3000 years to the ancient Babylonians. There is just something about the start of a New Year that gives us the feeling of a fresh start and a new beginning. In reality, there is no difference between December 31st and January 1st. Nothing mystical occurs at midnight on December 31st. The Bible does not speak for or against the concept of New Year's resolutions. However, if a Christian determines to make a New Year's resolution, what kind of resolution should he or she make?
Common New Year's resolutions are: to quit smoking, to stop drinking, to manage money better, and spend more time with family. By far the most common New Year's resolution is to lose weight, in conjunction with exercising more and eating healthier. These are all good goals to set. However, 1 Timothy 4:8 instructs us to keep exercise in perspective: "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." The vast majority of New Year's resolutions, even among Christians, are in relation to physical things. This should not be.
Many Christians make New Year's resolutions to pray more, to read the Bible every day, and to attend church more regularly. These are fantastic goals. However, these New Year's resolutions fail just as often as the non-spiritual resolutions, because there is no power in a New Year's resolution. Resolving to start or stop doing a certain activity has no value unless you have the proper motivation for stopping or starting that activity. For example, why do you want to read the Bible every day? Is it to honor God and grow spiritually, or is it because you have just heard that it is a good thing to do? Why do you want to lose weight? Is it to honor God with your body, or is it for vanity, to honor yourself?
Philippians 4:13 tells us, "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." John 15:5 declares, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." If God is the center of your New Year's resolution, it has chance for success, depending on your commitment to it. If it is God's will for something to be fulfilled, He will enable you to fulfill it. If a resolution is not God honoring and/or is not in agreement in God's Word, we will not receive God's help in fulfilling the resolution.
So, what sort of New Year's resolution should a Christian make? Here are some suggestions: (1) Pray to the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) in regards to what resolutions, if any, He would have you make; (2) Pray for wisdom as to how to fulfill the goals God gives you; (3) Rely on God's strength to help you; (4) Find an accountability partner who will help you and encourage you; (5) Don't become discouraged with occasional failures; instead allow them to motivate you further; (6) Don't become proud or vain, but give God the glory. Psalm 37:5-6, "Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun."
Answer: The practice of making New Year's resolutions goes back over 3000 years to the ancient Babylonians. There is just something about the start of a New Year that gives us the feeling of a fresh start and a new beginning. In reality, there is no difference between December 31st and January 1st. Nothing mystical occurs at midnight on December 31st. The Bible does not speak for or against the concept of New Year's resolutions. However, if a Christian determines to make a New Year's resolution, what kind of resolution should he or she make?
Common New Year's resolutions are: to quit smoking, to stop drinking, to manage money better, and spend more time with family. By far the most common New Year's resolution is to lose weight, in conjunction with exercising more and eating healthier. These are all good goals to set. However, 1 Timothy 4:8 instructs us to keep exercise in perspective: "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." The vast majority of New Year's resolutions, even among Christians, are in relation to physical things. This should not be.
Many Christians make New Year's resolutions to pray more, to read the Bible every day, and to attend church more regularly. These are fantastic goals. However, these New Year's resolutions fail just as often as the non-spiritual resolutions, because there is no power in a New Year's resolution. Resolving to start or stop doing a certain activity has no value unless you have the proper motivation for stopping or starting that activity. For example, why do you want to read the Bible every day? Is it to honor God and grow spiritually, or is it because you have just heard that it is a good thing to do? Why do you want to lose weight? Is it to honor God with your body, or is it for vanity, to honor yourself?
Philippians 4:13 tells us, "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." John 15:5 declares, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." If God is the center of your New Year's resolution, it has chance for success, depending on your commitment to it. If it is God's will for something to be fulfilled, He will enable you to fulfill it. If a resolution is not God honoring and/or is not in agreement in God's Word, we will not receive God's help in fulfilling the resolution.
So, what sort of New Year's resolution should a Christian make? Here are some suggestions: (1) Pray to the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) in regards to what resolutions, if any, He would have you make; (2) Pray for wisdom as to how to fulfill the goals God gives you; (3) Rely on God's strength to help you; (4) Find an accountability partner who will help you and encourage you; (5) Don't become discouraged with occasional failures; instead allow them to motivate you further; (6) Don't become proud or vain, but give God the glory. Psalm 37:5-6, "Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun."
A New Year With The Lord
A new year is about to unfold
With new opportunities to explore
Doors will open for new experiences
New adventures with the Lord
Remember not the former things
The things of this past year
The Lord will do new things in us
Much more than we are aware
For He will make a way for us
As we put our trust in Him
And He will guide our every step
By His presence we have within
What God has placed within our hearts
We find we'll be able to do
If we look for the opportunities
We'll see the door to go through
We mustn't let anything hold us back
But rise up and take our place
And be all that God wants us to be
With a fresh touch of His grace
A new year is about to unfold
With new opportunities to explore
Doors will open for new experiences
New adventures with the Lord
Remember not the former things
The things of this past year
The Lord will do new things in us
Much more than we are aware
For He will make a way for us
As we put our trust in Him
And He will guide our every step
By His presence we have within
What God has placed within our hearts
We find we'll be able to do
If we look for the opportunities
We'll see the door to go through
We mustn't let anything hold us back
But rise up and take our place
And be all that God wants us to be
With a fresh touch of His grace
--- Thankyou for contributing to Revival-Fire! You are currently subscribed to revival-fire as: [revivalfirenetwork@gmail.com] HOW TO JOIN: Send an e-mail to: revival.fire_admn@yahoo.com Subject: subscribe revival-fire, yourusername@yourdomain To UNSUBSCRIBE, send the following message to: eric@riverlife.net subject: unsubscribe revival-fire, yourusername@yourdomain Enter the following line in the main text body unsubscribe revival-fire, yourusername@yourdomain Comments? Questions? Contact the following: Revival Fire Site Overseer/Supervisor: Pastor Rich Oliver, Family Christian Center e-mail: riverrgo@msn.com Technical and Admin oversight: Eric Leach e-mail: revival.fire_admn@yahoo.com TO POST MESSAGES TO REVIVAL FIRE: Send your message as an e-mail TO: revival-fire@hub.xc.org Subject: (insert your message subect) REMEMBER!!! If you hit "Reply" to a message received, it will only go to the original poster, not everyone on the list. If you want your response to go to all members, make sure the "TO:" address is revival-fire@hub.xc.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No comments:
Post a Comment