What to Do about New Year Resolutions?

Here we are just a few days before we enter yet another new year! In addition to the New Year traditions of watching the television broadcast of the ball drop in Times Square (though in recent years I have given up this tradition!), savoring pork and sauerkraut (I have not yet given up on this one!) and watching football bowl games, another tradition comes to mind. Making new year's resolutions. Been there? Done that? I have. And usually for no long term gain! 

Yes, I admit I am tempted to start off the new year with the status quo. But a big part of me wants to make some changes for the better. And changes don't just happen. As Don Carson reminds us, "No one drifts toward holiness." So I am once again going to enter the new year with some resolutions in hand. But this year, I am going to do it differently than I have done in the past. This year I am going to KISS the whole resolution making process (i.e. Keep It Simply Smitty). 

Therefore, I am making three resolutions. No more. No less. One for my mind. Another for my body. And a third for my heart. Mind, body, heart. All require some special attention. 

1. My mind. Jesus included our minds in his call upon us to love the Lord our God (Matthew 22:37). So how can I better love God with my mind in 2018? One helpful step to do so is to saturate it with God's truth. To assist me in this, I am resolving to memorize each of 52 weekly questions and answers from The New City Catechism. This will be a stretch for me. But a stretch well worth undertaking! 

2. My body. The Apostle Paul reminded his readers (and by extension, us) that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). As such, we need to treat them in such a way that honors God. To help me with this, I plan to use my fitness tracker to achieve my personal step goal for each day. I also will strive toward reducing the amount of grazing I tend to do in the evenings when at home. So at the end of the day I will be increasing my calorie burn while reducing calorie intake. Sounds like one step toward taking better care of the temple!

3. My heart. King Solomon, arguably the second wisest man to ever walk this earth (Jesus being first), urges the guarding of one's heart "above all else" (Proverbs 4:23). To help me do this better, I am going to spend time working through the book of Proverbs by using Tim Keller's excellent new daily devotional on this Old Testament book of wisdom. I plan to journal and pray my response (and hopefully live it out in the trenches of life) and memorize some key verses from the book.

So there you have it ... three simple (I think) steps I plan to take (in addition to other things I already am doing) to help me walk further down the path of godliness . . . taking each step, of course, by God's grace and for his glory! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

MERRY CHRISTMAS!  And if you are anything like me you are wondering, "How can Christmas be just three days away?" We can stop wondering and embrace the reality that in a blink or two of our eyes ... Christmas will be here (and then gone!). So, I plan to make the most of these days leading up to Christmas to celebrate the reason (the REAL reason) for the holiday: the birth of Jesus the Christ, our Savior and Lord (and I hope you do so as well). Please pour yourself a cup of coffee (This morning I am enjoying a cup of Starbucks Christmas blend. It has a CHRISp taste that brings JOY to the taste buds ... bottom line, it is SNOW GOOD!). 

1. With people in the United States spending an average of $1000 this year on Christmas gifts, it makes me wonder if in the midst of all this gift giving, Christmas' greatest gift might be lost in the pile of torn wrapping paper and empty boxes. And just what is that gift? It is the birth of a baby in the midst of barnyard animals. One who was born to die. Of course, I am talking about the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. A birth long promised by the prophets of the Old Testament. A birth celebrated by heaven's angelic population. A birth wondered at by a group of lowly shepherds. A birth honored by a group of exalted magi. 

I urge you in your Christmas gift exchanges, that you pause to thank God for his indescribable gift (1 Corinthians 9:15). Take a moment to read and reflect upon the following words of the Apostle Paul: 

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).

2. Not only can the real reason for Christmas get lost in the holiday shuffle, but, in young 5 year old TyLon Pittman's mind, the very holiday itself can be stolen! The young boy called 911 out of concern that the Grinch was going to successfully pull off a heist of Christmas. The 911 operator was amused, as was Officer Lauren Develle. Develle arranged to have TyLon come to the station and lock up the Grinch! Check out the story here. All of us have a bit of the Grinch in us ... (if you doubt this, just listen to yourself and count how many times throughout your day you complain about something!). Just the other day ... I was in my back yard picking up branches which had broken off our trees during some recent high winds. I caught myself complaining. So I stopped in my tracks and gave thanks to God for the house my wife and I (and the bank) own (though we are getting ever closer to eliminating the bank's share of ownership!). Many people do not own a home. And many people here in the US and throughout the world are, in fact, homeless. So all this to say ... the next time you catch a grumbling complaint rolling off your tongue, STOP! Think about what you are complaining about. Find something to be thankful for ... and give thanks! Don't be a Grinch!

3. I want to close out by offering thanks! First and foremost thanks to God for his AMAZING and sovereign grace which saved me from sin's penalty and is saving me from sin's power (and which one day will save me from sin's presence!). I also thank my wife and kids and kids-in-law and their kids! Thanks fam, for your love for one another and for me! Finally, thanks to my church family! The staff team and elder team that I work with have to be among the best in the land. And add to them everyone else who calls Grace Church at Willow Valley their home! I can think of NOWHERE else I would rather be serving Jesus than RIGHT HERE at Grace! You all are the best! A very merry and joy-filled Christmas to you all! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

Friday Coffee with PJ

Sorry I missed you all last week. I was on a "staycation," enjoying some time away from work and with my wife. But this morning, I am back (actually was back at the beginning of this week). So pour yourself a hot cup of java and join me for a few random thoughts. 

1. One of the fun things my wife and I did last week was to see the movie, The Man Who Invented Christmas. The movie portrays how Charles Dickens wrote and published his much loved story, A Christmas Carol, in a matter of six short weeks. The majority of his characters who appear in his book are based on actual people he encountered in his own life. One item Dickens carried with him was a little book. In that book, he would write down names whenever he ran across one that struck his fancy. These names often worked their way into his writings (for example, at the end of the film, he met a constable with the last name of Copperfield .... ring a bell?). Dickens is not the only one keeping a book of names. God is, too! Really? Absolutely. In the Bible's final book, the Apostle John is describing the final judgment. During this judgment, all of humanity will stand before God. Books will be opened which record every deed we have ever done, every word we have ever spoken, every thought we have ever had. And since even the "best" of these are as "polluted garments" before God (Isaiah 64:6), all of us should be condemned. However, there exists another book. It belongs to the Lamb, whom the Scriptures identify as none other than Jesus Christ (John 1:29). Anyone whose name is recorded in this book will not face eternal judgment, but will instead be given eternal life (Revelation 13:8; 20:15). 

My friends, is your name written in the Lamb's Book of Life? You might wondering how you can find out? Your name is written in it when you make the choice to follow Jesus. If you want to learn more about what it means to do so, I urge you to check out: Two Ways to Live: The Choice We All Face.

2. In just a little over a week (ten days, but who's counting?!), Christmas Day will arrive. For my wife and I, that means lots of grandkids will descend upon our house (seven of them are eight years of age and under). If I could just figure out how to capture their energy in a pill, I could fund a lot of mission projects around the world! I will guarantee you that by the time they all head for home and a welcome quiet descends upon our house, Grammy and Papa will crawl into our recliners, put up our feet, and allow the warmth of having spent Christmas Day with our kids and their kids sooth our tired bodies. 

Not every grandparent will enjoy this blessing this Christmas. But for my wife and I, we thank God that we can! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj

Friday, December 1st. Yup. Christmas is just 24 days away! And in spite of the somewhat balmy weather we have been enjoying this week, a glance at the long range forecast this morning shows colder weather is just around the corner (I even spotted the "s" word! Ugh! But this should NOT surprise us. Today is the first day of meteorological winter!). So even if you don't enjoy a hot cup of coffee normally, you may want to take up the habit soon just to warm up!  😉  Thanks for joining me today for a couple of thoughts which I hope will help you grow in your faith journey with Jesus Christ. 

1. Wednesday morning brought a startling revelation on NBC's Today Show. Visibly shaken co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb broke the news as the much watched program came on the air. Matt Lauer, a popular co-host on the show for over twenty years had been terminated over night for "inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace." The memo from the chairman of NBC also stated "we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident." 

As I reflected on this sorry state of affairs (and so many similar ones which have surfaced in recent weeks), the word "integrity" popped into my head. One of the dictionary definitions of the word reads, "the state of being whole and undivided." So what does that "state" look like in our day-to-day living? Simply that one's walk will match one's talk. So if you are a man or woman of integrity, you will keep your word. You won't back out of commitments. You won't renege on a promise. You will respect others. And what you are behind closed doors matches who you are in the workplace, neighborhood, school, church, etc. because your life is "whole and undivided." You are not two-faced. And when people look at you, what they see is who you are! 

Now being a man or woman of integrity does NOT mean being perfect. If that were the case, none of us could ever possess integrity. For we all are broken, fallen, sinful people (Romans 3:23). So if integrity does not mean perfection ... then what does it mean? In one word, "consistent." So are you a consistent person when it comes to living honestly before others? If you have a skeleton in your closet ... it may be time to come clean. First before God and then before others. Matt Lauer had a secret. And now that secret has ruined his career and perhaps his family relationships. Sin has a way of catching up to us (Numbers 32:23) - in this life as well as the next (the latter being far more concerning!). If you have never made a faith commitment to Jesus Christ, asking him to forgive you of your sins, I urge you to check out: Two Ways to Live: The Choice We All Face. 

Consider these words of wisdom from the Old Testament's book of wisdom, the book of Proverbs: "Better a poor person who lives with integrity, than the rich one who distorts right and wrong" (28:6). 

2. On Sunday, one of our two year old grandsons spent time in our church nursery. His first several stays in the nursery were a bit on the rough side. But he is now settling in to the routine. This past Sunday when I asked his mom about him and the nursery, she told me that he refers to the nursery as the "Church Y." When I asked her what he meant by that she informed me that she sometimes takes him with her when she goes to work out at the local YMCA. The Y has childcare available for members. In Logan's mind, our church nursery is the "church" version of the Y's childcare. Therefore ... our nursery is the "church Y!" Ha! Gotta love the little ones! Jesus did ... and so must we (Mark 10:13-16). What are YOU doing to help children to find Jesus? 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj