New Year’s Resolution
We all know that every once in a while or at least at one point of their life, everyone gets a sudden realization that they need to do something to better the way they are living their lives.
Nowhere is this epiphany more common than during the start of a new year. And we call this exercise our New Year’s Resolution.
Dictionary.com defines a resolution as a firm a decision to do (or not to do) something.
Let us look at the Top 10 New Year’s Resolution for this year.
New Year, New Me
- Lose Weight - as if this is going to be a surprise to anyone?
- Getting Organized - okay, I guess this is a surprise.
- Spend Less, Save More - 2-in-1 deal, for one does not necessarily mean the other but yes, who wouldn’t want to this and the other?
- Enjoy Life to the Fullest - wow, this is a hard one.
- Staying Fit and Healthy - this really goes hand-in-hand with number 1 and is much harder than it sounds.
- Learn Something Exciting - this is a good one, now what is exciting for one isn’t necessarily exciting for another.
- Quit Smoking - great, if only it was that easy.
- Help Others in Their Dreams - whoa, sounds like what a Miss Universe finalist will answer to most questions thrown their way.
- Fall in Love - now, this is something to think about, if only it really is that easy to fall in love, or for others to fall out of.
- Spend More Time with Family - amazing what we can come up with to do when we put our minds to it.
What About Yours
So what was yours at the start of this year and how did that go? Or more importantly what is your New Year’s Resolution for this coming New Year? Remember even if it isn’t the New Year, you can have your new month’s resolution, new week’s resolutions, or even new day’s or new anything resolution.
Think about it, what do you think you can honestly do (or stop doing) to change your life for the better?
A. Spend less time watching TV? Or less time on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or online shopping, less time playing video games, less time sleeping, or less time doing nothing?
B. Spend more time fixing the things that need fixin’, Or more time volunteering, more time reading, more time writing, or more time chilling out?
C. Quit drinking, quit gambling, quit porn, quit lying, or quit what it is that you want to stop doing?
Are You At The End of Your Rope?
Now if you tried everything else, day in and day out or every new year but still, you have that emptiness inside you or even a sense of hopelessness or despair and you tell yourself “What’s the use?”
Now if you’re at the end of your long rope, maybe the one thing that you haven’t tried is to just give up trying or to just give up.
Okay, if you’ll quiet yourself, maybe you might even hear a quiet whisper that may sound something like, “It’s about time… my precious child… it’s about time.”
And now, maybe all you really need is time -- time to read a book, the single top selling book that isn’t in any city’s best seller’s list and has been around since your great grandparents were alive.
And if you really have the time, then read these slowly…
In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (the Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.
He was present originally with God.
All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being.
In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.
And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it].
There came a man sent from God, whose name was John {the Baptist}.
This man came to witness, that he might testify of the Light, that all men might believe in it [adhere to it, trust it, and rely upon it] through him.
He was not the Light himself, but came that he might bear witness regarding the Light.
There it was—the true Light [was then] coming into the world [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] that illumines every person.
He came into the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him [did not know Him].
He came to that which belonged to Him [to His own—His domain, creation, things, world], and they who were His own did not receive Him and did not welcome Him.
But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name—
Who owe their birth neither to bloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are born of God!]
And the Word (the Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth.
John testified about Him and cried out, This was He of Whom I said, He Who comes after me has priority over me, for He was before me. [He takes rank above me, for He existed before I did. He has advanced before me, because He is my Chief.]
For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift.
For while the Law was given through Moses, grace (unearned, undeserved favor and spiritual blessing) and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No man has ever seen God at any time; the only unique Son, or the only begotten God, Who is in the bosom [in the intimate presence] of the Father, He has declared Him [He has revealed Him and brought Him out where He can be seen; He has interpreted Him and He has made Him known].
And this is the testimony of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites to him from Jerusalem to ask him, Who are you?
He confessed (admitted the truth) and did not try to conceal it, but acknowledged, I am not the Christ!
They asked him, What then? Are you Elijah? And he said, I am not! Are you the Prophet? And he answered, No!
Then they said to him, Who are you? Tell us, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?
He said, I am the voice of one crying aloud in the wilderness [the voice of one shouting in the desert], Prepare the way of the Lord [level, straighten out, the path of the Lord], as the prophet Isaiah said.
The messengers had been sent from the Pharisees.
And they asked him, Why then are you baptizing if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?
John answered them, I [only] baptize in (with) water. Among you there stands One Whom you do not recognize and with Whom you are not acquainted and of Whom you know nothing.
It is He Who, coming after me, is preferred before me, the string of Whose sandal I am not worthy to unloose.
These things occurred in Bethany (Bethabara) across the Jordan [at the Jordan crossing], where John was then baptizing.
The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, Look! There is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world!
This is He of Whom I said, After me comes a Man Who has priority over me [Who takes rank above me] because He was before me and existed before I did.
And I did not know Him and did not recognize Him [myself]; but it is in order that He should be made manifest and be revealed to Israel [be brought out where we can see Him] that I came baptizing in (with) water.
John gave further evidence, saying, I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and it dwelt on Him [never to depart].
And I did not know Him nor recognize Him, but He Who sent me to baptize in (with) water said to me, Upon Him Whom you shall see the Spirit descend and remain, that One is He Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.
And I have seen [that happen—I actually did see it] and my testimony is that this is the Son of God!
Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples,
And he looked at Jesus as He walked along, and said, Look! There is the Lamb of God!
The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Him.
But Jesus turned, and as He saw them following Him, He said to them, What are you looking for? [And what is it you wish?] And they answered Him, Rabbi—which translated is Teacher—where are You staying?
He said to them, Come and see. So they went and saw where He was staying, and they remained with Him that day. It was then about the tenth hour (about four o’clock in the afternoon).
One of the two who heard what John said and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
He first sought out and found his own brother Simon and said to him, We have found (discovered) the Messiah!—which translated is the Christ (the Anointed One).
Andrew then led (brought) Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, You are Simon son of John. You shall be called Cephas—which translated is Peter [Stone].
The next day Jesus desired and decided to go into Galilee; and He found Philip and said to him, Join Me as My attendant and follow Me.
Okay, I understand that this might be too much reading for one sitting or even too much for one day.
But think about it…
Maybe all you need to do is just that,… to follow Him.
And it might not even be as hard as you think...
Note: If you wish to continue reading the entire first chapter of John, in the Amplied version), then continue here:
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the same city as Andrew and Peter.
Philip sought and found Nathanael and told him, We have found (discovered) the One Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote about—Jesus from Nazareth, the [legal] son of Joseph!
Nathanael answered him, [Nazareth!] Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip replied, Come and see!
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him and said concerning him, See! Here is an Israelite indeed [a true descendant of Jacob], in whom there is no guile nor deceit nor falsehood nor duplicity!
Nathanael said to Jesus, How do You know me? [How is it that You know these things about me?] Jesus answered him, Before [ever] Philip called you, when you were still under the fig tree, I saw you.
Nathanael answered, Teacher, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!
Jesus replied, Because I said to you, I saw you beneath the fig tree, do you believe in and rely on and trust in Me? You shall see greater things than this!
Then He said to him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you all, you shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man!
I know, it might be too hard to comprehend all these. But if you want to, then you can continue reading and even ask your questions in the comments section below.
Read here in the New International Version:
Or listen to the same version here:
Comments
Post a Comment