Resolution without Resolve

I would think that a large majority of Bible reading plans begin the new year somewhere in the book of Genesis - you may already be in chapter 10 by now, but that's OK - it means you may have already come across this passage in chapter 2:
15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. 16 The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely ; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."

So, here we have Adam placed in the Garden, Eve fashioned for him, and they are endowed with God's confidence in them that they will carry out the plan of God, the Creator.   But, they were given an "opt out" - a choice: they could eat from all the trees freely, but one and only one tree was forbidden to them.   And, that choice became a snare to them.   

As Pam Smith will share on TMH next week, there are 5 leading new year's resolution, the majority of which are never kept, and most abandoned by the end of the first week.   They are: lose weight, eat better, stop smoking, exercise more, and get out of debt.   

Just like Adam and Eve lacked resolve to follow God's commands, even though He had given them the ability to walk in His ways and given them an abundance of trees from which to eat - thousands vs. just one - the solitary tree became a unit of temptation, and the serpent capitalized on it.   So, when we make resolutions - if they are practical and attainable, then we have to recognize, that with God's help, activating our ability, that we can reach the goals, or at least make progress.   But, because we lack resolve, the root verb of the word resolution, we often fail in our attempts.   

God, through His word and by His Spirit, can give us the fuel for our resolve.   And, as we rely on Christ and make quality decisions, intentional choices, we can see Him do the work He intends.


I think of a recent use of the word "resolution" outside the context of the New Year - it was a resolution that was stated by the men in the leading roles in the movie, "Courageous", and it went like this:

I DO solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.

 

I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.

 

I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.

 

I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength.

 

I WILL train them to honor authority and live responsibly.

 

I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy.

 

I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion.

 

I WILL work diligently to provide for the needs of my family.

 

I WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.

 

I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God.

 

I WILL seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word, and do His will.

 

I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.

Do you possess the resolve to live out this resolution?   It was recited by the men in the movie, but women can embrace the principles, too.  I pray we would be people of resolve, who do more than make and break resolutions, but who would spark a revolution in our hearts.