Resolve

So I was just thinking about New Year’s resolutions (I’m gonna do some good ones this year – just need to get round to thinking properly about it!) and I thought I’d see what the Bible has to say on the subject. After an unsuccessful Biblegateway search for “resolution”, I typed “resolve” in instead and deemed the four results it yielded worth sharing. Have a little read. It’s interesting to see what different Bible charcters resolved to do with their lives at certain points…

1. “Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah” – 2 Chronicles 20:3

Here we find the King of Judah in a spot of bother. One of his fellow tribes, Ephraim, has just turned against him and here we find him on the receiving end of some news that a couple of foreign Kings are coming to take a piece of him too. J’s response? A resolution. To seek God – and not just in a wishy-washy kind of way. Properly. Fasting and everything. The result was pretty emphatic. The people of Judah also made a resolution – “to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendour of his holiness” – out which God intervened and we read that this happened in verse 22: “As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.“

In a moment of crisis Jehoshaphat resolved to lean on God rather than himself. It worked out pretty well.

2. “Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.” – Psalm 17:3

Psalm 17′s towards the cheerier end of David’s scale – I guess he’d been having a pretty good time of it when he penned this. The whole thing is a declaration of intent. Who knows what was facing David at this particular time, but whatever it was he wanted to make sure he was approaching it as God would have him do so. David knew the meaning of grace, that we can be sure of!, but he also recognised the fundamental necessity of living a righteous life. Do we? Or have we compromised off the back of God’ unconditional love?

What’s also great about this Psalm is seeing David’s heart behind his desire to live the best he can: “And I – in righteousness I shall see your face; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with seeing your likeness.” (Psalm 17:15). The sheer awesomeness of God was what motivated David in his resolution. For that to be the case he needed to know the God he was revering.

3. “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.” – Daniel 1:8

In a similar way to Jehoshaphat, Daniel too was in a spot of bother. He’d just been shipped off to Babylon with a few of his friends, and he found himself in the service of a King whose customs would force the young Israelite to abandon his people’s purity code. What you do in a similar situation? Maybe you can think of one from your time at uni. There are two options: compromise in order to adapt more easily to your new surroundings, or stand strong – sticking with what you know to be right. Daniel did the latter, he resolved not defile himself, just as God had commanded. And, like Jehoshaphat, he too felt the benefit – he rose to the highest governmental positions in both the Babylonian and Persian empires, influencing numerous people on account of his zeal for God. All kicked off by stern resolve.

4. “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” – 1 Corinthians 2:2

The last of our exemplars is a tentmaker from Tarsus, goes by the name of Paul. Embroiled in heated debate with one of his most successful church plants, he starts his second letter to the Corinthians by setting himself apart from those charismatic leaders that sought to lead people on account of their eloquence and wordly appeal. Paul’s resolution? To talk about Jesus. Jesus alive, died and glorified. In a world of new ideas and whimsical trends, Paul had nailed his colours to the mast happy that the only thing he truly needed to tell people was that Jesus was God who lived on earth, died for man’s sin, and rose again to restore us to our right relationship with our Creator. Everything else was just hot air, regardless of how well it was pieced together.

So there you go. It might be that the turn of the year finds you in a crisis point, like Jehoshaphat or Daniel. In which case I’d suggest taking a similar approach to theirs – resolve to wholeheartedly seek God and trust in him for your deliverance.  Or maybe you’re a bit more like David or Paul. 2010 stretches in front like any other year has done in the past, but you feel like this one might just be different; that God has got something special up his sleeve for you. If that’s you, and if so I very much think you’re onto something, then what better way to position yourself by resolving to remain focused on the central truth of the Gospel (that Jesus died for your sin) and to commit wholeheartedly to pursuing a life of righteousness?

Jesus said, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near“. The richness and fullness of being children of God is right there, just waiting for us to take hold of it. Our part is simple: recognise our need for God’s grace and turn away from the things that hold us back. Go ahead and leave them in 2009 – let’s resolve to make 2010 better than we could ever ask or imagine!

Under the Radar

“To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds… The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.”

Daniel 1:17,19-20

Daniel and his buddies achieved amazing things for God. During their time as exiles in Babylon they were selected to enter the service of the king and, because of the intellectual (and physical) gifts that God had given them, they were fast-tracked right to the top of the tree. In fact, so impressed was Nebuchadnezzar by Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah that he ended up renouncing the religion of his country and putting his trust in the God of Israel – even before the whole incident with the lion’s den!

The story gives us a fascinating insight into how God can use us to infiltrate even the most out-of-reach areas of society. Because of the natural talent and training that Daniel and Co. received they were invited into places that, say, an ordinary Israelite, even a priest, never would. Then from this position of influence they were able to live completely uncompromising lives for God that were so magnetic and impressive that God brought to repentence those whom they encountered.

You all have skills and talents, not just in the spiritual sense, but in the ‘traditional’ sense as well. In fact, that’s why most of you have come to university – to hone those skills. Now don’t hear what we’re not saying, there is definitely more to life than your degree, but it is also worth bearing in mind that the outcome of it will go a significant way to dictating where you go afterwards. And one thing’s for sure – we definitely need a lot more Daniels in the world. People who will use their God-given abilties to get to the highest points of influence in all areas of society, and then, having slipped in under the radar, influence them for the advancement of the Kingdom.

So next time you’re thinking about sleeping through your lectures or sacking off revision it might be worth thinking bigger than just scraping through your course by the skin of your teeth.