“Incline your ear to my sayings…for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:20-23, KJV)
So, what is/are your resolution(s) for the New Year? According to the experts, most resolutions are broken within the first week of the New Year, yet despite the futility, some of us start the year committing to changes we hope to carry out during the year. I would guess that most of the desired changes are behavioral and are perhaps things that we have struggled with from time to time, and in some cases, perhaps for a very long time. It could be that we have made the same resolution before and failed despite our best efforts so we start this year with a new resolve.
For individuals desiring lasting change, our reference text seems rather appropriate for the start of 2010. What better resolution to make than to incline our ears to the sayings of our God? The Holy Spirit directed Solomon to record that these sayings are “life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.” and seeing all of our actions, thoughts, and all the issues of life springs from our heart, we are also admonished to keep our heart “with all diligence”. Two great resolutions, 1) Incline your ear to my sayings, and 2) Keep your heart with all diligence! I would imagine that if we can do both things, most of the times, if not all of the times, we would be in good shape towards becoming the kind of persons we were intended to be.
In my own experience, my resolutions are made daily as I strive with each passing day to be as God intended. I find daily is necessary given all the various challenges we experience in our individual lives. I find it absolutely necessary to remind myself of the Lord’s sayings as in a somewhat cold and unforgiving world they provide me with the inner peace that so many people are looking for. They cause me not to worry but to think of God’s sovereignty over all things while reminding me that regardless of my outside circumstances, as long as I remain under His care, I am in good Hands.
So my New Year starts the same way the old ended and that is with the resolve to incline my ears unto even more of His sayings. Most of us who have tried to walk in our own way from time to time can profess to the fact that at the end of the day we are sometimes rudely reminded that there really is no other way but His way. That His way is best and if we hope to rest in the comfort of His care, we have to surrender our own desires, plans, and methods under the Lordship of Christ and allow Him to have His own way.
Will you join me?
