NEW YEARS RESOLUTION – TO KNOW HIM

Phil.3:8 – Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

About this time every year you may hear people beginning to talk about their New Year’s resolution. We hear some that are going to change to a low carb diet, at least until King Cake season. Then there is the uptick in fitness club membership – that may be over by February. Then there are those who think they need to go back to church on Sunday (unless the Saints are in the playoffs). You get the picture, good intentions but maybe not so much follow through. What is the key to lifestyle change anyway? Is there a way to follow through on all of my good intentions? The key may be found in today’s verse, to know Him. Knowing Christ in a personal way can change everything in your life Here is how Owen Strachan sees it quoting Jonathan Edwards.

“Jonathan Edwards corrects this tendency of our distractible hearts. He reminds us that there is nothing more needful in a stressed-out society than the knowledge of God. This is the “great business” for which mankind exists: not simply to store up facts about the Almighty, but to draw near to our Creator in a living, loving union. Sure, we need to troubleshoot all sorts of situations in our daily lives; but we were made for something more. We were made to know God, to experience the delight of a life centered around him. In worshiping God, we discover our true purpose, gaining “knowledge of ourselves” through a biblical prism. Life isn’t supposed to be self-driven; it’s supposed to be God-defined. Today, and every day, let us make it our pursuit to know God as his Word reveals him. In an age of superficial distractions and concerns, let us lose ourselves in our Creator, studying him, communing with him, worshiping him.”

If what Strachan, Edwards, and the Apostle Paul said is true then the solution to perseverance may be found in a superior joy that comes from knowing Christ. Changing your life becomes much easier when you are actually chasing something you truly enjoy. Paul is describing pursuing Christ as the greatest treasure of His life. He had found a value in knowing Him that was bigger than all the pleasures of this life. So maybe those New Year’s resolution are actually within your grasp this year as you pursue knowing Christ more.