New Year's Resolutions

I never have any. I figure if I want to make any changes, I can do them now instead of waiting until some far-away date that holds no special power. I learned as a teenager that New Year's resolutions were useless anyway because I always broken them, so what was the point?

Ah, but this... THIS is a good stuff. If Tony and I have anything in mind for this coming year it would be this:


LET US KEEP TO THE POINT

"My eager desire and hope being that I may never feel ashamed, but that now as ever I may do honour to Christ in my own person by fearless courage" Philippians 1:20 (MOFFATT)

My Utmost for His Highest. "My eager desire and hope being that I may never feel ashamed." We shall all feel very much ashamed if we do not yield to Jesus on the point He has asked us to yield to Him. Paul says - "My determination is to be my utmost for His Highest." To get there is a question of will, not of debate nor of reasoning, but a surrender of will, an absolute and irrevocable surrender on that point. An overweening consideration for ourselves is the thing that keeps us from that decision, though we put it that we are considering others. When we consider what it will cost others if we obey the call of Jesus, we tell God He does not know what our obedience will mean. Keep to the point; He does know. Shut out every other consideration and keep yourself before God for this one thing only - My Utmost for His Highest. I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and for Him alone.

My Undeterredness for His Holiness. "Whether that means life or death, no matter!" (v.21.) Paul is determined that nothing shall deter him from doing exactly what God wants. God's order has to work up to a crisis in our lives because we will not heed the gentler way. He brings us to the place where He asks us to be our utmost for Him, and we begin to debate; then He produces a providential crisis where we have to decide - for or against, and from that point the "Great Divide" begins.

If the crisis has come to you on any line, surrender your will to Him absolutely and irrevocably.

~from My Utmost for His Highest, January 1

"Fearless courage..."

The crisis has come on a line, on many unexpected and painful lines already. I know for me in 2011, the Great Divide has begun.

"I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and for Him alone. "

I have a feeling that determining to be our utmost for His highest this coming year will be harder than we expected. But the Shepherd leads on, and Him must we follow.