What If You Don’t Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

We are not quite two weeks into the new year and statistics tell us (whoever those people are that know such things) that only 8% of people who make resolutions keep them.

Our student ministry is starting small groups back up this Sunday after breaking for the holidays.  We think it’s a good idea to take a break, but also look forward to getting back into meeting regularly.  Since it is a new month and a new year, it seems appropriate to use resolutions as a spring-board for our discussions in January.

The challenge of resolutions is not in the making of them; it’s in the keeping of said resolutions.  As I was looking at some passages in Scripture that talk about pursuing God (which is a good resolution to make), my reference Bible took me to 2 Chronicles.

Asa was king of Judah and he was challenged to bring the people back to a right relationship with God.  2 Chronicles 15 tells us he removed idols, repaired the altar of the Lord and assembled all the people together.

Now, if you need some motivation to keep a resolution, perhaps this passage will provide some.  2 Chronicles 15:10-15:

“They assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. At that time they sacrificed to the Lord seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats from the plunder they had brought back. They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. All who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman.  They took an oath to the Lord with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns. All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.”

So, if you are serious about keeping a new year’s resolution, perhaps you add in the threat of death…just a thought…

While I don’t think that scripture is prescriptive for how we should approach all of our commitments, it does show us that Asa and the people of Judah were pretty serious.

So, good luck with your resolutions!