I've been struggling with my resolutions for the new year. Towards the end of December and the beginning of January, I always say I'm going to read through the Bible and stick to a consistent quiet time. But I never finish it.
It works for a few months, but by February or March I'm stuck in the pots and pans section of the Old Testament and I usually quit. I have good intentions, but almost never fulfill them.
I was thinking about this today as I decided that it would be really neat to read through the Bible chronologically this year. I almost didn't want to do it; to even make the commitment because I figured I would just break it again this year. But then it began to dawn on me that nothing else could matter more than my time with the Lord. Absolutely nothing.
I was put on this earth for exactly that purpose:
to glorify God with my life.
And that is done by spending time in His word every day.
I read the passage from "My Utmost for His Highest" for today and it really jumped out at me in relation to what I'd been thinking about.
"'My determined purpose is to be my utmost for His highest - my best for His glory.' To reach that level of determination is a matter of the will, not of debate or of reasoning. It is absolute and irrevocable surrender of the will at that point ... Shut out every other thought and keep yourself before God in this one thing only - my utmost for His highest. I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and Him alone."
If I'm truly honest, would I say that this is true of my life? Am I living for Him and Him alone? I think God is beginning to show me that 2013 is going to be a year of surrender.
Surrender of myself and my desires.
Surrender to His will no matter what.
Surrender to the plans that He has for my life regardless of where they may lead me.
Webster's defines surrender as:
a : to yield to the power, control, or possession of another
b : to give up completely or agree to forgo especially in favor of another
a : to give (oneself) up into the power of another especially as a prisoner
b : to give (oneself) over to something (as an influence)
I always think of surrender as being a negative thing or something I really don't want to do. But I'm beginning to realize that it doesn't have to be. Surrender can be a very good thing.
I need to surrender in order to learn, to grow, to change.
It's like the verse in John 3 that says, "He must increase, but I must decrease."
That's a wonderful and beautiful thing!
Scary at times? Yes, absolutely. But, oh so good, too!
I'm excited to see where the year 2013 takes me! I have a feeling God is going to do some great things!