'Tis the season for making promises. You know, all those resolutions that we package into neat little boxes of goals, wrapping them in the pretty paper of determination and tying them neatly with ribbons of good intent? So, why is it that just as quickly as all of those beautifully wrapped Christmas gifts were ripped open, their glittery paper and fancy bows tossed into the trash...that our self-professed promises meet the same fate? What is it that trips us up year after year, leaving us defeated and discouraged by mid-January? What can possibly make this year any different?
Perhaps the answer lies not so much in what we want to accomplish, but how much we want it and why we want it.
What is the motivation behind each promise or resolution you've made? Each of us are driven by what our heart treasures most. Think about it...if what we want most is money and wealth, then our choices and goals are determined by this desire. If we crave popularity, we make decisions based on what we think will give us the most credibilty with others. If we are motivated by appearance, then we determine that we will lose weight or dress a certain way. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with any of these desires, but if we want these with the hope that, "if I could just have _____, then I'd be happy, fulfilled and satisfied...then my life would be better than last year" we will forever live in the land of discontent and disappointment.
Let me suggest a different direction and perhaps a new approach to this year:
1. The desires of your heart are what motivate and fuel your thinking.
2. Your thinking determines your actions, which in turn, determine the direction of your life.
3. Therefore, in order to change the direction of you life, you must begin with your heart.
And here's the secret:
IF THE GREATEST DESIRE OF YOUR HEART; YOUR TREASURE; YOUR MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION...IS GOD HIMSELF, THEN THE DIRECTION OF YOUR LIFE WILL BE MOTIVATED BY HIS GREAT LOVE FOR YOU.
I have learned that when my heart is centered on no other goal than knowing and glorifying Him in EVERY thought, action and word...that is when I have experienced what it means to live in the love of the Creator...and that is a place of ever-increasing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. It is not contingent on anything I can do better or goal I can accomplish this year...it is a promise that has already been kept by the only real Promise Keeper. He has already fulfilled the only promise that really matters in Christ.
So this year, why don't you start with only one resolution~to center your heart on Him and His amazing love for you? Determine to make knowing Him more, throughout each day, talking to Him, reading His Word and trusting His promises your only goal. Then as the desire of your heart for Him grows, your thinking will begin to change from self-focused goals to God and others-focused and it is a GUARANTEE that by this time next year, the DIRECTION OF YOUR LIFE WILL CHANGE...you will be filled with more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There really isn't any other resolution that will give your heart all of that~and that's a Promise you can count on!
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