What Are God’s Resolutions for Your Life?
This time of year, we talk a lot about New Year’s resolutions and about how to make our lives better. Many of us have spiritual goals, physical goals, intellectual goals, and a whole host of things that we think will improve the qualities of our lives and character. We have a notion of what an ideal person ought to be like, and so we make commitments to conform to that image. Of course, the only image we ever need to bear is God’s.
Now I’ll admit, bearing the image of God is something we could park out on for a long time. If God was writing New Year’s resolutions for me – and probably all of us – the list could be a mile long. But as I read Acts 4 this week, the story stood out to me in a way that is different than usual. At that time, Peter and John had been imprisoned, then brought before the rulers, the elders, and the teachers of the law. Peter makes a speech about Jesus, and then verse 4 reads, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”
Normally, when I read that, I think, how cool is it that Jesus discipled unschooled, ordinary men! There’s certainly a lot that can be said for discipling whoever is in front of you or Jesus meeting you where you are. But this time, what stood out is that, after being with Jesus, Peter and John were still unschooled, ordinary men! The pair were remarkable, not because they had learned so much by studying under Jesus, and not because Jesus had made them into extraordinary gentlemen, but because of their courage.
When I think of becoming more like Jesus, I usually press myself to read more of the Bible or Christian books, behave better, serve more, pray more, and generally become less ordinary. Yet Jesus isn’t concerned with making us extraordinary. He wants our hearts, our obedience, and for us to step out in faith and courage. This year, as you think about resolutions and change, what would it look like for you to be more courageous rather than just trying to be better?
This blog is based on principles from NewBreed's Making Disciples cohort. The next cohort begins January 15, 2024. .
Brooks Hamon is the Content Director for NewBreed Training. He lives in Wilmington, North Carolina and has been involved in many types of church plants, from micro to mega churches. Before joining NewBreed, Brooks served church planters at Exponential, creating resources and organizing events for like-minded leaders.