[Faith-talk] FW: [BlindMen4Christ] A Brighter Tomorrow

[WESLEY BURDEN]

-----Original Message-----
From: blindmen4christ-bounces at morales-family.lljfm.net
[mailto:blindmen4christ-bounces at morales-family.lljfm.net] On Behalf Of Stu
(by way of Curtis Delzer <curtis at calweb.com>)
Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2009 11:04 PM
To: Blind men for Christ
Subject: [BlindMen4Christ] A Brighter Tomorrow

DAILY RESOLUTION

At the beginning of a New Year, a high school principal decided to post his
teachers' New Year's resolutions on the bulletin board.

As the teachers gathered around the bulletin board, a great commotion
started.  One of the teachers was complaining.  "Why weren't my resolutions
posted?"
She was throwing such a temper tantrum that the principal hurried to his
office to see if he had overlooked her resolutions.  Sure enough, he had
mislaid them on his desk. As he read her resolutions he was astounded.

This teacher's first resolution was not to let little things upset her in
the New Year.

Maybe this is a good time to see how you're coming on your New Year's
resolutions (if indeed you made any).  The above story demonstrates why
making resolutions may not be such a good thing and, in fact, may be
detrimental to our spiritual growth.  What happens when we make resolutions?
At some point, the resolution is likely going to be broken.  It may be a
matter of days, weeks, or months, but eventually we tend to falter.

If your resolution involves dieting, there will likely come a day when
you'll sneak a piece of fudge.  If your resolution is quitting smoking,
there will likely come a day when you'll reach for that cigarette you've
been craving.  If your resolution is reading the Bible every day, there will
likely come a day when things are so hectic that you miss your reading.

And once the resolution is broken, it becomes even easier for it to crumble
further.  The incentive that kept you going ("I've maintained my commitment
to this point") is now gone.  One slip leads to two which quickly leads to
three, and before long we have the attitude, "I've messed up so much that
it's not even worth continuing to try."  So what is there left to do?  For
most of us, we set our sights on January 1, 2010 and determine when that day
rolls arounds, we'll try it again ("and NEXT time I'll do it!").

Allow me to suggest an alternative. Instead of yearly resolutions, what if
we made daily resolutions? Begin each day with this prayer:

"Father, today I want to live for you.  I want to dedicate to you my time,
my energy, my passion and my resources.  Today, I will seek to add one
quality that will make me more like You.  Today, I will seek to eliminate
something in my life that doesn't please you.  I will seek to be more
conscious of You in my life.  I will try to be more appreciative of the
blessings I receive from Your hand, and I will look for opportunities to
show You glory in the way I deal with people and in the way I react to
situations I face."

Make it your resolution to end the day a little bit closer to God than you
began. The goal is spiritual growth...

"...Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the
Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness
of Christ...speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him
who is the head -- Christ." (Ephesians 4:14,16) Stu
<mailto:K5stu at sbcglobal.net>K5stu at sbcglobal.net
Reading your Bible today will help prepare you for A Brighter Tomorrow!
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