Resolve
And so the year is about to come to a close. 2021 has been a strange one, I think, for most of us, but I hope that we've ended it in a positive way by doing this prayer of Examen—looking back on our year in a prayerful way.
We've recognized God's presence with us. We've relished the good moments and thanked Him for it. We've reviewed our year and seen where we've grown and where we've perhaps gone backwards, repented yesterday of our sin, and today we're going to resolve to make 2022 a year of godliness.
Commit to Godliness
This comes on the heels of yesterday's repenting, because true repentance always means that we've committed to living free of that sin.
And so what are you going to commit to as the New Year starts with the help of God's Holy Spirit? What do you want to define you in 2022?
Perhaps you're going to resolve to be a person of prayer like you've never been before. Perhaps you're going to resolve to be committed to reading the Word in 2022.
Perhaps you're going to commit to some new ministry. God's been knocking on your door saying, "Get involved there, get involved there." Maybe you're going to do it this time and commit to it.
Maybe you're going to join a small group or a Bible study or something like that. Or maybe you're just going to connect with a friend more often and keep each other accountable.
I don't know what it is, friends, but will you resolve to live 2022 well?
Choose to Serve
There's that great moment in Joshua 24, where Joshua first reviewed the history of the people of God and then noticed that they were being tempted by all sorts of false gods and idolatrous things.
He says this to the people in verse 15: "If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."
The people in verse 16 answered and said, "Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods."
And then again they did some reviewing and said it was God Himself who brought them and their parents up out of Egypt. He did all sorts of good things for them. And so in verse 18 they say, "We too will serve the Lord because He is our God."
And so who's it going to be for you, friends? Are you going to resolve today to serve the Lord, to serve the one true God of the Bible?
Don't fall into the trap of following other gods, other idols, other obsessions, other pleasures apart from Him. Declare with Joshua today and resolve:
"As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord and the Lord alone in 2022."
Friends, a big thank you to all of you who are supporting this ministry financially. I'm so grateful that I can continue to do this.
And so God bless you all. Keep listening, keep sharing these messages all over the place, and may 2022 be a wonderful year for you because you've resolved to serve the Lord.
God bless you all and take care.
