"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and advise one another with all wisdom, as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:12-17
Several years ago, I was asked to deliver the message at a church service just before New Year’s Day. The Lord placed the following on my heart as I was thinking about what He would want our resolutions to be for the New Year. He gave me ten resolutions from Paul’s words to the church in Colosse. I pray they will be a blessing to you as get set to enter 2008. Feel free to share with others and may the Lord richly bless you and yours in all things. I will continue our journey through Exodus tomorrow.
Ten resolutions for 2008 from the Word of God:
10. Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
How many of you are very selective in the things you wear? Most people are. Dressing properly takes time and careful consideration over style and color of what we’ll don. We want to ensure we look the best as we enter a world where others will see us.
So how well do we also select the way we clothe ourselves with our attitudes and demeanors? Do we take as much time to properly prepare ourselves before we go out and let others see what we look like on the inside? Look at the things that God’s word says should be part of our inner wardrobe:
- Compassion which consists of affection, tenderness, pity, and mercy
- Kindness which can include courtesy, favor, good deeds and goodwill
- Humility…a spirit of mildness, humbleness, surrender and modesty
- Gentleness which involves sensitivity, friendliness and politeness
and
- Patience…one’s ability to remain calm, composed, cool under pressure
So how well dressed are you on the inside? In this new year, maybe a makeover might be in order.
9. Bear with each other
What does it mean to bear with one another? Can you think of someone right now who just seems to get under your skin? Someone who annoys you to no end?
Resolve in the new year to be more tolerant. To respect others. To stop looking so closely at a person’s shortfalls in spite of ignoring all of yours…for we’re all flawed and imperfect when we get down to the truth of the matter.
So seek to be more understanding of others and strive to resolve differences when they occur. Seek to rebuild bridges instead of burning or tearing them down. Pray for those who you differ with and seek reconciliation in the year ahead.
8. Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
We all know what forgiveness is…putting it into action is often the real problem.
If left to our own devices, we could easily wiggle our way out of forgiving some people by deciding who we wanted to forgive and who we didn’t want to. We would turn forgiveness into a selective process.
That’s why scripture had to put down strict guidelines to govern our forgiveness. Hear the word of God from verse 13: Forgive as the Lord forgave you. WOW! This takes all the guesswork out of forgiveness. For we must forgive everyone without exception. If you doubt that, then I ask if there has been anything you have done that the Lord has not forgiven you for? The first steps to inner healing when you are burdened with anger or hatred toward another is to say the words I forgive, then resign to pray for that person as being just like you…a sinner who is only saved through the amazing grace of God through Jesus Christ. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
7. Over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them together in perfect unity.
The package of prior resolutions all revolve around love which is central to the greatest commandments of Jesus. Remember His answer when asked about the greatest commandments? He said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength." Then He said, "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:36-40)
If you truly love God with all that you are, you will easily embody compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with and forgiving one another, all in the name of love through the One who showed and taught us what love is all about. So when you unwrap the gift of this new year, take off the ribbon of love that is on the gift of Jesus and see what is inside the package. In it are priceless treasures in and of the Savior…the Christ who we should be seeking to be like in every way. And the first thing we see when we look at Him is love. So put Him on your heart…wear Him with pride…and let love rule supreme in you this coming year.
6. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts
In a world full of violence, confusion, problems and constant change, peace is sometimes very hard to come by, isn’t it? I think that’s why we were given the words of God found in Philippians 4:6-7:
"Do not be anxious about anything but give your concerns to God in prayer and petition and with thanksgiving. So you might find the peace of God that transcends all understanding and your hearts and minds will be guarded in Christ Jesus."
In 2008, God would want us to remember that He is the only One who is fully able and ready to handle any problem we have. And when we truly lay our burdens at His feet and allow Him to work awesome miracles in our lives, then we can fully experience that peace that transcends all understanding...a peace that will ensure our hearts are guarded by Christ Jesus. I pray that peace will rule your hearts and the hearts of all creation in the new year.
5. Be thankful
There’s a popular saying that says, "Count your blessings...and when you get done, count them again." Too often, we lose sight of all the great and awesome things the Lord has done in our lives. In fact, just me being here writing this and you being where you are reading it is a blessing in its own right and something we should be greatly thankful for.
For it’s only due to God’s love and mercy and grace that we are here, even though we are all undeserving sinners before Him. It’s easy in life to curse our circumstances at any one time but if we truly stop and take an account of how very blessed we have been in our life, we can keep our attitude focused and centered on thanksgiving and praise unto the One who gives us every good and perfect thing from above.
Be thankful…in all circumstances.
4. Let the word of God dwell in you richly
How good are you at time management? Our days seem to get ever more busier as we run from obligation to obligation…from event to event. There seldom seems to be enough time in the day. In fact, too often as we arrange and prioritize our time, we schedule so much that we squeeze the most important things out…like quiet time with the Lord in prayer and scripture reading.
For God blesses us with time. We all get 24 hours a day and He expects us to invest it wisely. Yet, too often we skip giving some of that time to Him every day and jump into life lacking the wisdom, guidance and strength we need to make it through situations we encounter. We often sit in dismay and depression…lost and in need of help, even when that help is just a few minutes of prayer or bible reading away.
Friends…all the wisdom, strength and guidance we need is fully found in the bible...God’s Holy Word…His instruction manual on life given to us to help us make it day by day by day. When we read it, study it, and pray over it, then it comes to dwell in our hearts and minds, illuminating our path as we walk down the path of life. I believe that God would say to us in 2008...make time for my word so you know what you’re doing with the life and time I have provided…and let that word live in your heart and mind forever more.
3. Teach and advise one another with all wisdom
We can only do this if we have wisdom within us. And that wisdom is not our own wisdom or worldly wisdom but the wisdom that comes from the Father above.
This resolution only happens when we adhere to the last resolution and let God’s word dwell richly within us. Our study of Holy Scripture will lead to spiritual wisdom as it takes hold within our hearts. Then, God would say, "Don’t keep My word to yourself but rather take the learning you have received from Me and use it to teach one another." In fact, Jesus gave us that instruction in His Great Commission. He told us to "teach others to obey all that He had commanded." (Matthew 28:20)
So we learn His commandments and understand His expectations only by reading the Bible, meditating on our reading and then putting it into action. The call in 2008 is for us to be proactive in our teaching others about Jesus using the wisdom God places within us.
2. Sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God
Do you have a favorite song? What is it about that song that makes it your favorite? Most often, it is because the song makes you feel good. It has a way of elevating you above whatever might be happening in your day and brings joy to you for the moment you listen to it.
Personally, I have found that music has an effect on the soul unlike any other medium. Whether it is a praise and worship song, a contemporary Christian song or a classic hymn, spiritual music is a gift from God that brings us into the attitude of worship and adoration unlike any secular song can. In 2008, examine the music you’re listening to. Does it glorify God? Does it edify you spiritually?
My prayer would be that you truly sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your heart toward God. And when you lift your voice up, do so in a way that the Lord will feel your fullest gratitude. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!
1. Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him
Is there anymore suitable number 1 resolution that God would have for us in 2008 or any other year for that matter?
For in this resolution, there is no gray area…no exception…just the requirement for us all to do everything in the name of Jesus and all the while giving thanks to God for the indescribable gift of salvation and eternal life through His Son who He gave freely to pay the price for our sins.
Once again I ask, is there any greater resolution we could make for the new year? And is there any more challenging resolution for us to carry out in such a sin-filled world?
The good news is that we can meet this challenge…just as we can meet any challenge…through the power and strength of the Christ within us. Truly, we can "do all things through Christ who strengthens us." (Philippians 4:13).
In this new year, I pray we will live out the verses of this word of God from Colossians. For if we do, we will find ourselves in the very spirit of God’s will for us in Christ Jesus!
I look forward to a great year ahead in the Lord and wish all of you a very Happy New Year!
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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