Resolutions

My wife still remembers sitting in the doctor's waiting room, overhearing a girl with a broken leg who said, "I'm giving up dancing for lent."  Just how impressed did she think God might be with her resolution of self sacrifice?

New Year's resolutions are ridiculous.  The concept itself carries the proof of the insincere intentions.  The fact that one waits until the New Year to make the resolution is the evidence that there is no hearty resolution about it.  I'm going to keep my New Year's resolution to never go sky diving again.  The fact that I have never had a desire to do this, plus the fact that I am 77 years old and have no business trying such a foolish, dangerous thing, makes this resolution most certainly successful.  But what does such a resolution mean?

If something is worth changing in your life, why wait til New Years to make the change?  If it is something wrong or bad, that is to say sinful, then it's worth doing December 30 or January 2 or any other day of the year.  "I resolve to stop killing other people, starting New Year's Day."  No, that won't fly.  Obviously ludicrous, but when we are talking about sin, it is no more ludicrous than saying, "I resolve to stop coveting the riches of others, starting on New Year's Day."  Oh I see, that leaves you one more day to indulge that sin.  Better do a lot of it to make up for the deprivation you will suffer in the future.

It's like Mardi Gras, fat Tuesday, as a day of debauchery and gluttony before the self-deprivation of lent. Does anyone actually suppose God is fooled by such obvious ill intentions?  Does anyone actually want to serve such a small-minded god?  It's only a game quite like the New Year's resolution.

Christian friend, you know your resolution.  I resolve to kill sin more effectively and live more godly.  But, dear friend, we must remake that resolve every day, and alas, more than once each of those days.