Resolutions

It is hard to believe that 2016 has come and gone. We have ushered in yet another new year. Every New Year brings with it another opportunity to start fresh. Many, if not most, have made a declaration of resolution. Some resolve to eat more healthy foods. Some resolve to exercise more regularly. During a game of “Dirty Santa,” my wife gave a gift which included my kind of exercise. Inside the package was a small 1 inch by 1 inch wooden block. The block had a note on it. The note read, “This is an exercise block. Place the block in the middle of the room. Now, walk around the exercise block 4 times. Sit down and relax. You have just walked around the block 4 times!” Now that’s my kind of exercise. Some folks resolve to spend more time with family, less time at work, more time enjoying life. Whatever the choice, there are countless resolutions that are made each and every year. And what a blessing it is to have the opportunity to reflect, evaluate, and adjust our lives for the better. Isn’t it great to know that God continues to bless us in so many ways? A. W. Tozer, in his book Knowledge of the Holy, stated, “The goodness of God is the drive behind all the blessings He daily bestows upon us.” We are blessed in so many ways by our God. And much of the time, we fail to realize the full extent of the gifts we receive from Him.

I wonder what it would be like if we all sought to understand the blessings of God more, if we were to truly search deep within ourselves for the countless gifts our Heavenly Father grants to us daily. When we finally come to a better understanding of the blessings of God would we live our lives differently as a result? Would we commit ourselves on a deeper level to Kingdom work? I wonder if we have become too comfortable in our journey. I wonder if we have become spiritually complacent. If we have become spiritually complacent, is it possible that we have done so because we subconsciously believe God has maxed out His blessings for us? Do we ever think, “I’ve been faithful for a long time, God has blessed me, and I’m now standing at the pinnacle, or possibly the plateau, of my spiritual blessings.”?

The reality is that God has blessings for us that are beyond our comprehension. In reference to Ephesians, A. T. Pierson said, “In the word of the text, ‘the unsearchable riches of Christ,’ ‘unsearchable’ literally means riches that can never be explored. You not only cannot count or measure them, but you can form no estimate of them; and you not only can form no estimate of them, but you never can get to the end of your investigation. There is a boundless continent, a world, a universe of riches, that still lies before you, when you have carried your search to the limits of possibility.” Wow. What a thought. No matter how far we search out the blessings of God, we can never reach the limit. Even if we carry our search to limits of our possibility, there is infinitely more blessings from God. God is able, and I believe God does, more than we can possibly ask or imagine. We cannot even begin to fathom the depth of his love and care for us. Why should we fear, when we serve the living God?

What great blessings lie in store for us! God desires to bless us far beyond all we can ask or imagine. And as we begin this New Year, my challenge for us all is that we will commit ourselves more deeply to God and His Church. My prayer is that you will seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness. May we resolve to rise up, trust in God, and move forward as He continues to lead and bless us!