New Year's Resolutions

Deuteronomy 10:12-17  -  And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,  and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today.  Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.  For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.

 

Moses continues to recount the story of how God rewrote the precious tablets with his own hand. He made sure the Israelites knew that God had forgiven them and he even gave them another copy of the precious rules he wanted them to live by.  Then Moses asked them a simple question. It was one of those rhetorical questions…not really meant to be answered out loud...but meant to provoke a lasting passion to follow God…even after Moses left this world to be with God in Heaven. 

 

Moses wasn’t the only one to give us such great advice either.  Micah 6:8 says…. “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” And Jesus’ own words are recorded in Matthew 22: 36-40…where he told us how important it is that we get this one right. …. "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"  Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'  This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

 

What better advice could we receive on this New Year’s Day…but to fear the Lord our God…to walk in all his ways…to love him…to serve him with all our heart and mind and soul…to observe all his commands that Moses brought down from the mountain that day. We all need a do-over….a second chance to live the life God put us here to live…for at some point we have all been stiff-necked people…selfish and set on making sure we get what we think we need. God has a Promised Land waiting on all of us…even Moses got to see God’s wonderful Heaven soon after this speech…and I am sure Heaven was much more wonderful than the land Moses only got to see with his eyes.

 

I think God just gave me my New Year’s Resolutions for this year…1)to fear the Lord my God…2)to walk in all his ways…3)to love him…4)to serve him with all my heart and mind and soul…5)to observe all his commands.  I need to throw some other important things in there too…6)like lose 20 pounds to get my cholesterol numbers down…7)call my kids more often and stay more involved in their grown up lives…8)put a little more effort into my work instead of trying to figure out how to retire.  Somehow I just know that if I get the first 5 right…God will take care of the rest. Maybe this year will be the one I get to step into the Promised Land he has ready for me.

 

Father…every morning I wake to talk with you…I am amazed….not just because you always show up…but because you always have a message for me...that helps me deepen my relationship with you. Thank you God for the do-overs…more than I could ever count…because I am a ‘stiff-necked’ person…who just can’t seem to get it right all the time.  I thank you for the forgiveness and mercy you show each day you let me live…and pray this morning that you walk with me even closer…and help me to learn your ways…so they become part of my character….embedded so deep even Satan can’t find a way to trick me into letting him get a foot in the door.  Take all of my selfishness away this morning God...and teach me your selfless love…to reverence you so much that I can’t do anything that doesn’t honor you. Cure me father…of the ‘stiff-neck’ selfish desires that hold me back from the promised land you put here on Earth for me…show me how to find my purpose…..and embrace it with all my heart…and soul…and mind. Amen.