{"id":597,"date":"2018-12-13T09:17:23","date_gmt":"2018-12-13T14:17:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.westlakebaptist.org\/blog\/?p=597"},"modified":"2018-12-13T09:17:24","modified_gmt":"2018-12-13T14:17:24","slug":"resolutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.westlakebaptist.org\/blog\/resolutions\/","title":{"rendered":"Resolutions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As the Christmas season comes to an end and the New Year begins, many of us make resolutions.\u00a0\u00a0Are you one of them?\u00a0\u00a0Maybe it is losing weight, obtaining a promotion, being there for your kids more often, learning another language, or going back to school.\u00a0\u00a0How about your spiritual life?\u00a0\u00a0Have you made any resolutions, as far as church?\u00a0\u00a0Maybe you want to read the Bible more, go to church more often, or spend more time with the Lord in prayer.\u00a0\u00a0Whatever it is, I believe all of us have made resolutions at one time or another. The problem is keeping the resolution.\u00a0\u00a0There are three things that need to happen to keep the resolution. First<\/strong>, we need to look at our past to see how we got to this point. The point at which we realize we need to make a change.  Second<\/strong>, we need to make a plan that will allow us to obtain the goal or resolution we set.  Third<\/strong>, we must daily work our plan until we have reached our goal.  This is very important.  I believe the third step is where most of us fail because we do not daily discipline ourselves to keep doing what is necessary to reach the goal we want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Joshua 24, Joshua\u2019s final address to the people, he challenged the Israelites with these three points:   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First – Remember:<\/strong>Oh Israel, remember what God did.\u00a0\u00a0How He led our forefathers out of captivity, out of the hand of the Egyptians.\u00a0By His power, the red sea was parted, our forefathers crossed over dry land, and the Egytians were consumed when God returned the red sea to normal and the pursuing Egyptians drowned.\u00a0Remember how He brought us over the Jordan and fought the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and the Jebusites for us.\u00a0\u00a0He drove them out of the land that He gave us. \u00a0Notice that Joshua tells the nation of Israel to remember what God had done for them.\u00a0\u00a0We need to do the same thing.\u00a0\u00a0We need to remember the many blessings He has given us.\u00a0\u00a0How God has taken care of us.\u00a0\u00a0Above all, we need to remember why God sent His only begotten Son.\u00a0\u00a0At Christmas time we remember Christ\u2019s birth.\u00a0At Easter, we remember Christ\u2019s death, burial, and resurrection.\u00a0\u00a0Without that, we would have no hope.\u00a0\u00a0We need to always remember the great sacrifice God made for us.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second \u2013 Make a Resolution or Plan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joshua said,\u00a0\u201c\u2026 choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Joshua 24:15. \u00a0A choice was given to the Israelites.\u00a0\u00a0Either go and serve false gods, like their forefathers did, or serve the one and only true God.\u00a0\u00a0Go back and worship the Egyptian gods, the Amorite gods, Baal, or some other god you want, or worship the God of the Bible.\u00a0\u00a0He is the one that delivered Israel. Like Israel, we have a choice to make.\u00a0\u00a0What is more important?\u00a0\u00a0Your job, money, sports?\u00a0\u00a0Is there anything wrong of these things?\u00a0\u00a0No.\u00a0However, if they are more important to you than serving God, they become gods to you.\u00a0\u00a0Anything that takes the place of God becomes your idol. Joshua made his resolution, \u201c\u2026choose you this day whom ye will serve \u2026 as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.\u201d \u00a0He didn\u2019t care what everyone else was doing.\u00a0\u00a0He didn\u2019t care how hard it might be.\u00a0\u00a0Nothing was going to stop him and his family from serving God. \u00a0How about you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third \u2013 Daily Work Your Plan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joshua 24:19-21, \u201c\u2026 God: he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.\u00a0\u00a0If ye forsake the Lord, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.\u00a0\u00a0And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the Lord.\u201d \u00a0Do not turn back and serve other gods.\u00a0\u00a0Do not forsake God. That is what Joshua was saying to the Israelites. \u00a0They were not to serve other gods, nor are we. \u00a0Daily, they had to choose to follow God and daily we need to put God first. \u00a0Each person needs to learn this and the next generation needs to be taught this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As this year comes to a close and the New Year begins, I leave you with this.\u00a0\u00a0\u201c Choose you this [year] whom ye will serve.\u00a0\u00a0Fear the Lord, and serve him [with your whole heart.]\u201d \u00a0All resolutions begin with a choice. \u00a0Will you choose to serve God this new year and for the rest of your life? \u00a0Daily, remember what the Lord has done for you and seek the Lord in prayer, Bible reading, and in every action you do.\u00a0\u00a0Put God first in your life and do not allow anything else to take His place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pastor Harry<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the Christmas season comes to an end and the New Year begins, many of us make resolutions.\u00a0\u00a0Are you one of them?\u00a0\u00a0Maybe it is losing weight, obtaining a promotion, being there for your kids more often, learning another language, or … Read More →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[325],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westlakebaptist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westlakebaptist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westlakebaptist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westlakebaptist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westlakebaptist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=597"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.westlakebaptist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":598,"href":"https:\/\/www.westlakebaptist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597\/revisions\/598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westlakebaptist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westlakebaptist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westlakebaptist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}