Resolutions Not Wishes

"Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty.

Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air"

(I Corinthians 9:26)

I go to the gym to give my body a workout...not to seek wisdom. Yet to my surprise the other day, I got some sound wisdom from a poster meant to get people to sign up for a personal trainer. The poster read:

A goal without a plan is just a wish.  The Lord used that poster to bring conviction and remind me about some goals He had put on my heart. Because of the poster, my time of mindless sweating turned into a time of prayer, soul searching and resolve.

I wonder how many thousands of well-intentioned resolutions will be made by people this next week. I also wonder how many people will actually follow through on the resolutions they make. I heard that most resolutions last less than two weeks. If we were to apply the logic of the poster from the gym to these annual resolutions, they shouldn't be called "New Years Resolutions", but "New Years Wishes"....a goal without a plan is just a wish!

I hope you have made some spiritual goals for this next year, and if you did, make sure you also set up a plan as to how you might achieve that goal.

The apostle Paul knew that following after the Lord in this world is not an easy task. He uses the analogy of being in a race or in a fight. Paul wasn't just running around with no direction, he had a clear course and purpose, and he wasn't shadow boxing wasting energy striking at the air, he had Godly aim that he might land blows on the enemy's chin.

I pray we can all seek the Lord for some realistic goals for this new year. As you seek the Lord for His goals in your life, He will give you wisdom to set a plan, and the strength and discipline needed to follow through. Happy New Year!