- Mexican Proverb - “A good resolution is like an old horse, which is often saddled but rarely ridden.” Have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet? I have never been very good at keeping New Year’s resolutions. I eat too much. I don’t exercise. I don’t read the great books that I should or finish those long awaited projects in life… I guess if we don’t make resolutions then we don’t have to worry about keeping them.

The origin of making New Year's resolutions rests with the Babylonians, who reportedly made promises to the gods in hopes they'd earn good favor in the coming year. They often resolved to get out of debt. Sounds familiar? Many of us are still making that resolution today.

A "Resolution" is defined as

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

2. the quality of being determined or resolute.

3. the action of solving a problem, dispute, or contentious matter.

This is the time of year to be determined and resolute.. To make hard decisions about our future.. To find solutions to our problems. Making these resolutions is easy but the hard part is keeping them. Simply wanting to change is not enough; you need to make it stick. One way to do this is to share your resolutions with others. So I’m going to share some of mine with you this morning.

The bible provides us some guidance about resolutions. The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:13 “Of course, my friends, I really do not[a] think that I have already won it; the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead..... “

Humans are very special beings, in that God has given us the ability to remember. However, your memories can be your friend or your enemy.

Paul had a dreadful past and it could have easily haunted him for the rest of his life, if he allowed it. He persecuted the church. He used his authority to kill Christians. By his own admission he said, "I am the chief of sinners." He could have walked around all his life with this tremendous burden of guilt crippling him and he would never have become the great Apostle and missionary for God that he went on to be.

Many people dwell on their past failures, mistakes, and sins so much so that they become spiritually paralyzed, unable to live productively for God. Paul is telling us that we can turn our past sins and failures over to God and start moving "forward to what lies ahead."

Like Paul, We must resolve to forget those things which are behind us and press forward. What we have done in the past is behind us. This is a new year. A time to put our worries to rest. We all make mistakes from time to time., But sometimes the greatest damage caused by a mistake is done by the resulting worry, regret, and guilt. That is how it is with the mistakes that we make in life.... often the greatest danger is not the immediate consequences.... but the long term effects of allowing the guilt to "hang on." Guilt is like the shackles that keep you in prison, that keep you from experiencing joy, happiness, and peace.

We can’t allow ourselves to become fixated on our failures. We are all human. We make mistakes. We sin. We fail. But what is worse, is missing the opportunities that God puts in front of us because we are afraid to fail. Let go of fear, worry & doubt.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Give it to God, Whatever it is! I’m going to resolve this year to learn to let go and trust God.

I’m going to resolve this year to walk in closer fellowship with God. Genesis 5:24 tells us that “Enoch spent his life in fellowship with God, and then he disappeared, because God took him away.”

Christianity is not merely a religion, or a system, or even a belief... it is an active, growing, living, daily relationship with God. It is not a sprint either.... it’s a marathon.

Jesus said, "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matt. 6:33).

We draw closer to God through worship, by spending time in prayer, and seeking God’s guidance for our life by reading the Bible. Set aside some time each day for this. I remember as a child I would spend the night at my grandparents' house. They would have nightly devotions and a bible reading and as we would get older they let us read from the bible. It was a simple task but it was very meaningful and had a lasting impact. This year, I resolve to work on my relationship with God on a daily basis.

My last resolution is to stop putting off for later what I should be doing today. Benjamin Franklin once said, "Do you love life? Then do not squander time for that is the stuff that life is made of." It was Abraham Lincoln who first said, "The leading rule for a man of every calling is diligence; never put off until tomorrow what you can do today."

Perhaps, the saddest example of procrastination is found in the life of the Roman Governor Felix, who listened to the apostle Paul "speak about faith in Christ Jesus. But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, ’Go away for the present, and when I find time I will summon you.’" (Acts 24:25).

Never again did Felix listen to God’s word. Once he had put it off for a time, as with so many things in life, that time never came. We all ought to be more like the psalmist, who wrote, "I hastened and did not delay to keep Your commandments" (Psalm 119:60).

What if there were no church tomorrow because we were too busy to worship God today? What if God could not hear your prayers tomorrow because you were too busy to pray today? What if there were no Bible tomorrow because you would not read His Word today? What if there were no forgiveness tomorrow because you did not stop sinning today? What if there were no invitation tomorrow because you did not respond today?

Ernest Hemmingway used to give things away at the first of the year. He said that he did it to prove that he owned them. He said that if he wasn’t able to give them away, he did’t own them. It was his fresh start to the new year.

Today we have a fresh start and a new year. I’m glad I got to share my resolutions with you… I encourage you to make your own resolutions for 2023. I encourage you to

Resolve to… Forget your Past: Look beyond the mistakes and failures of yesterday; learn from them, repent of them, and then move forward.

Resolve to…Place God at the top of your "to do" list everyday. Worship God. Study the Word. Put God first in your life, let go, and everything else will fall into place.

Resolve to…Function in the Present: Stop living in the future. Do not put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

Last night, Millions of people all around the world celebrated the hope of a New Year. The record for 2023 is just beginning, nothing has yet been written in the pages of this new chapter in our lives. It is our story to write and it will be beautiful. Amen.