resolution

Do you have one? Do you hate them? Are you good at keeping them? I'm talking about resolutions. I've been thinking a lot about the whole "resolution" thing, the last couple of weeks. For me, it always seems so hard to pick one resolution to commit to. When I look at my life I can always think of so many things I can work onI could resolve to:

But, since I'm the type of guy who likes attainable goals, there's no way I'm likely to pick more than one resolution because I know very well that any one of those babies would be rough to stick to for the next twelve months. So, out of the chute, just picking a resolution, to me, is hard because it seems that to really choose one, in some way, is to disregard the othersand they are all important. And reality for me is,

This last month we've spent a lot of time in a series of messages looking at "Incredible Moments with the Savior." First we looked at an "Incredible Moment with 5,000," where we learned that in the midst of a following of 5,000 men, women & children, and probably more, that Jesus took care of their needs with only a handful of bread and fish. Therefore, we saw just how able and willing He is to provide for our everyday needs.

Next, we looked at an "Incredible Moment in a Boat," We saw that Jesus was able to calm the most violent of storms on the sea with the utterance of just three words. So how capable He must be to calm our worst storm, our worst hardship.

And just two weeks ago, Justin took us to an "Incredible moment of forgiveness" where Christ told the people who would stone the adulterous woman to let their stones fly, if they indeed were without sin. We learned that, through Christ, it matters not, how low, how embarrassing, how horrible, a thing we've done, or may doGod hands out grace and utter forgiveness if we will only come to him. (pause)

So having heard these outrageous truths, you may be even more convinced about the relevance of Christ in your lifeor you may still be just a little skeptical, looking around, not seeing the amazing feats of God's work in the culture, today. Depending on where you stand, I'd like to persuade you to put the truths you've heard about God to the test by making with me, just one resolution this year. (you thought I forgot all about the resolution thing, didn't you??) This one resolutionTo be closer to God.

So, how that plays out is, if you're a believer, you'll resolve to developing a closer relationship with Him. And if you're on the fence, that you'll take some pro-active steps to once and for all, make or break the case that what you've heard about Christ is true. What do you think? I'll tell you, for a guy who doesn't like resolutions, I kind of dig this one.

I'll tell you, what I really like about this one resolution is that it has the divine power to effect ALL of the important issues in my lifeMy relationship with Sandra, all four of my kids, my job, my faith, my health, my roles in the churchI'm hard pressed to come up with anything important that God doesn't have something to say about. I really like the bang for the buck that this resolution provides!

And figuring out how to fit all I need to work on into my schedule is a big "win" as well. You see, my focus becomes making and maintaining time with God. Through that time, He is well aware of my situation and more aware of my real needs than I am, which means, I will feel the tug of conviction or be sensitive to particular areas of my life as he leads me to be. Who better than the God of the universe to guide me through the process of self evaluation, how and where to spend my time. I'm telling you, this deal looks sweeter every minute!

I would like to spend our remaining time giving you some real tools to help you in the process of getting closer to God this year. And I'll tell you whatIf you haven't bought into this idea, yet, listen anyway, because what I'm going to give you are effective principles that you can apply to almost any situation, or resolution in your life. We're going to use the first 3 of Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," which, by the way, is subtitled, "Powerful Lessons in Personal Change."

The first habit is to be pro-active. Covey defines pro-activity as, "Meaning more than just taking initiative. It means as human beings, we are responsible for our own lives. Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditionsthat we have the initiative and the responsibility to make things happen." Let me give you some examples of what a pro-active vs. a reactive mindset looks like. Covey calls this the "Haves and the Be's".

A man came up to me and said, "Stephen, I like what you're saying, but every situation is so different. Look at my marriage. I'm really worried. My wife and I just don't have the same feelings for each other we used to have. I guess I just don't love her anymore and she doesn't love me. What can I do?

Covey follows that story up by saying, love is a verb. Reactive people make it a feeling. They're driven by feelings. Hollywood has generally scripted us to believe that we are not responsible, that we are a product of our feelings. But the Hollywood script does not describe the reality. If our feelings control our actions, it is because we have let go of our responsibility and given all of our power to our emotions---

And let's sprinkle that with some theology---- when we look to the Bible for words of guidance and insight as to how to live our lives, is it chalked full of: A) principles and examples of acceptable and unacceptable behaviors? Or is it: B) full of passages that begin with clauses like, "Depending how you feel, you should?"

Coveys ties this up with: Love is something you do; the sacrifices you make, the giving of self. If you want to study love, study those who sacrifice for others, even for people who offend or do not love in return. If you're a parent, look at the love you have for the children you sacrificed for. Love is a value that is actualized through loving actions. Proactive people subordinate feelings to values. Love the feeling, can be recaptured.

Pro-active people put values above feelings. Folks, this is a humongous biblical principle that is worth the price of admission, today. Let me say it again: Pro-active people put values above feelings. You can see how in the illustration, that pro-activity is so much more than a "positive" or "winning" attitude. By looking at that marriage from a "What can I do?" perspective vs. a "look what this marriage has become" perspective, we can see the hope in a situation that could devastatingly turn an entire family upside down.

So what the heck does all this have to do with our resolve, "To be closer to God" (did you notice that our resolution is a "Be" not a "Have"?) Well, pro-active people are driven by values. Getting closer to God will almost assuredly involve getting into the Bible, which is absolutely full of values, so we've got that going for us. Pro-activity puts the emphasis on what we value, more than the way we feel. So, in step 1, we are establishing that not "feeling" like it--is not a good enough excuse to keep us from sticking to our resolution. And we'll fight off the urge to backslide on our resolution by changing how we talk by using more "be" phrases or action verbs, rather than reactive "Look at the things that have happened to me" type phrases. And let me just say that I think that Covey was right by putting this in the first slot. This may be the most important habit, in that, it's the one that keeps us going.

The second habit of highly effective people, that we're going to use to "Be closer to God," is to Begin with the end in mind. Covey tell us that, to begin with the end in mind, means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. Now, at first hearing that, it sounds simple enoughBegin with the end in mind, means to start with a clear understanding of your destination Butas you hold it up to our resolution of "Being closer to God" it looks a little less clear to me. That is to say, we're not talking about an extremely concrete concept here. Being closer to God sounds a little, "mystical", for lack of a better word. I mean we are talking about a deeper relationship between usand the God of the universe. (pause) I'm just curiouscould you come up here and tell us all just exactly what a deeper personal relationship with God looks like?!.. So, what if, instead, we attempted to look at what being closer to God might produce in our lives?

To illustrate this principle, what might our world look like if we new we only had a few months to live?.How might we react to our child who spills red cool-aid on the carpet after our long day at work? How important is it now that your spouse's clothes from yesterday only made it three feet from the hamper? How important will it be to trade in the '98 model for the '99 model Durango, Justin? And ladies, with only a few months left, how important is it, now, that your husband left the lid up last night? O.K. I'm making light of this but you see the serious paradigm shift. You can see how, beginning with the end in mind can enable us to focus on the truly important things in our life.

Another part of beginning with the end in mind means that we need to be aware of what influences us along the wayor what does our personal make-up look like that determines how we make decisions, how we act and react along the way. Covey refers to this as our centerAnd goes on to tell us that we must know what is at the Center of our life. Because, whatever is at the center of our life, will be the source of our security, guidance, wisdom, and power. In other words, whatever is the center of your life is greatly going to impact where you will end up. In essence, that's what our resolve is aboutbeing closer to God will lead us to life with God at the center.

Is it your family? Is it money? Is it your job? Is it your possessions? Is it pleasure? Is it your friends? Is it yourself? If you identified with any of those centers, roll back some tape and ask yourself if they ever failed you? Lead you to a wrong conclusion? Down the wrong path? I'm challenging you to put God in the Center. Make him the source of these principles and the center of your life by being closer to Him this year. Give Him a tryand see if He delivers.

In terms of beginning with the end in mind, I would like to look at it from a perspective that's not in Covey's book. Let's look for a minute past our end on earthto what happens after we pass away. In Matthew 7:22 Jesus is talking about us going to Heaven. These are the words of Christ from the bible paraphrase, The Message, Jesus says, "I can see it now --- at the Final Judgement thousands strutting up to me and saying, 'Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking!' And do you know what I am going to say? 'You missed the boatYou don't impress me one bit.(You're You're out of here.' The NIV bible has Jesus' words as, "I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers." That phrase got my attention the first time I ever read it. "I never knew you."

God is making it very clear, that eternity is not about what we do, but about having a relationship with Him. This is why I think it is so important that we take this resolution seriously. He didn't say, we won't get into Heaven because we don't know about God, or didn't know who God was, or even that we didn't believe in him--- but that we didn't know Him.

That's a very personal phrase. Jesus is saying that without a personal salvation experience with Him, we have no place in Heaven. When you begin with the end in mind, you need to at least look at Jesus' words, "I never knew you. Away from me." If you've not made a salvation decision, I urge you to look at this. And for the rest here, today, including myself---I urge us to think deeper about what it is to truly know someone. Is there any way we can really know someone without spending time with them? Hanging with them?

So, habit #1 Be pro-active, says, "You are in charge of your situation, it empowers you to change things in your life," it helps us say, "I can change." Habit #2 beginning with the end in mind, is the ability to envision to see the potential, to create with our minds what we cannot see presently with our eyes.

Covey read the essay by E. M. Gray, who was a man who spent his entire life searching for the one common denominator that all successful people share. After a lifetime of study he determined that successful people put first things first. Or as Johann Von Goethe said, "Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least."

Which leads me to the story of the big rocksA college professor said, "O.K., it's time for a quiz." He reached under the table and pulled out a wide-mouth gallon jar. He set it on the table next to a tray with some fist-sized rocks on it. "How many of these rocks do you think we can get into this jar?" he asked. After they had guessed, he proceeded to put the rocks into the jar until it appeared full. Then, he asked, "Is the jar full?" The whole class responded, "Duh!" Then the professor reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel, which he dumped into the jar, going into all of the spaces left by the big rocks. He then asked again, "Is the jar full?" Before anyone answered, he reached under the table and grabbed a bucket of sand, which he poured in the jar which , in turn fell all around the smaller gravel. Once again, he asked, "Is it full?" Again, under the table he went, to grab a pitcher of water that he managed to pour in among the big rocks, the little rocks, and the sand.

So what's the point to the full jar? Is the point that, if we really work at it, we can really cram a lot of stuff into our lives?? NoThe point is, if the big rocks were not put in first, they may have not made it in at alland it was interesting to note how much of the smaller stuff actually could be fit in around the big rocks. So, this morning, let me ask youwhat does your jar look like? Is it full of sand, gravel and water? Does it have some big rocks in it? Does it have the big rocks in it that you really want? By putting first things first, we have to put the big rocks in our lives first.

Well, one thing you can do that is definitely a big rock, is to read. Read. Now, as soon as I said read, I could think of people I know who have said to me, "Ya know, I'm just not much of a reader." To which, I'm now going to boldly respond by saying, "We don't have much of a choice."

If we're serious about being closer to God, and changing anything important in our lives, I'm telling you, we must read. For me, I'm not a spiritual prophet who gets clearly worded divine messages and I'm not a theologian, chalked full of years of biblical insight and background, and basically understand scripture forwards, backwards, upside down and sideways.

What that means is, if I'm left to my own insights and perspectives, day in and day out, then my world is going to begin to look the same to me. Which means I will have the same old ways of dealing with my life. And I'm telling you, as of today, I have some issues that need to be improved upon. Now, if I don't get some fresh light on my lifeif I don't get some expert or biblical perspective, what are the odds that my life will be any different next year than it was this year?

Folks, the principle of digesting books that are packed full of human and spiritual insights is a value that will enable us to attain our resolution of getting closer to God and creating healthy life change. (change tone)

And anyway, if we're going to be pro-active now, we've agreed that we will put values above feelings. And the value of feeding our minds and souls far outweighs our feelings that we are not inherently "readers." If you buy in to what I just said, and begin the habit of reading good books this yearI promise you, you will have changed who you are, by this time next year.

I'd like to tell you about a few books that I believe, depending on where you are, will help you get closer to God this year. The first one is a devotional by Oswald Chambers entitled My Utmost for His Highest. (updated edition) A devotional is a book you can use on a daily basis that helps draw you closer to God. In fact inside the cover, this book is dedicated to the reader: It says, "May you know God better and draw closer to Him as a result of applying the truths of God's Word expressed in this book." Let me quickly add a caveat---If you tried to read My utmost for His Highest in the past and found it hard to comprehend, then give the new updated version a trythe updated version is written in very plain and easy to understand language. As I read Dec 31's page (by the way, you only have to read a page per day.) I thought of our resolution. It says,

"As we go forth into the coming year, let it not be in the haste of impetuous, forgetful delight, not with the quickness of impulsive thoughtlessness. But let us go out with the patient power of knowing that the God of Israel will go before us. Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ. Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him."

If you're getting bored because you aren't totally into the whole God-thing at this point, let me mention this book, The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. This is subtitled, A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus.

Strobel has a Master of Studies in Law degree from Yale Law School. This is a guy who went from atheism to faith on his own spiritual journey as he was trying to debunk Christianity. In The Case for Christ, Strobel cross examines a dozen experts with doctorates from universities like Cambridge, Princeton, and Brandeis who are all recognized authorities in their own fields. Stroebel challenges these experts with questions like, "How reliable is the New Testament? Does evidence for Jesus exist outside of the Bible?" And "Is there any reason to believe the resurrection was an actual event?" Whether you already are convinced or need some more proof, this is a great book.

When you talk about getting closer to God, it's pretty much inevitable that the dreaded "D" word is going to come up. DisciplinesOf course that's a Latin derivation meaning doing that which we absolutely hate to do.Actually the word discipline come from the word disciple, which means to follow. We give a 101 level overview of the disciplines in Next Step 2, but here is an entire book about them, plainly written so you and I can understand them better. John Ortberg has written a book called, The Life You've Always Wanted, subtitled "Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People." Ortberg's book answers questions like, "What does true spiritual life really look like? What keeps you from living such a life? What can you do to pursue it? One of his main themes, is that the heart of Christianity is about transformation. It is very much a book about how pro-actively pursuing God can result in real life-change.

The last book I want to shamelessly plug today, is for people who already have a relationship with Christ. It's called Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby & Claude King. It's subtitled, How to Live the Full Adventure of Knowing and Doing the Will of God. This book looks at seven aspects of relating to God through: knowing, loving, hearing, joining, believing, obeying and experiencing. This is a book specifically written to help you cultivate an actual ongoing, everyday relationship with God. A quote from the book says, "Knowing God comes through a love relationship with a Person. (person is capitalized) Through this relationship, God reveals Himself, his purpose and His ways. Then you get to KNOW GOD in a more intimate way by EXPERIENCING GOD.

Do you know what? I just remembered I have one more shameless plug, but it's not for a book. It's for lots of booksThat is to say that Debbie Wall and her fine staff are opening the OakBrook Bookstore called The Path, today. It will be open between services and after the second service every Sunday morning. In fact, all of the books I mentioned are now in our bookstore, as well as all of the recommended books on the insert in your program. How's that for convenience?!

Earlier today, I mentioned that it's possible you may be a little skeptical about the case for Christ, and that you may not see him at work today like we so clearly saw him in the "Incredible Moments with the Savior" series. If that's the case for you today, I want to urge you to take what I've said to heart. Because reality is, I could probably grab a dozen people who are sitting out here today, and ask them to come up here and share a real story of how God has worked in their life, in a very real way. But, I think that, too, would leave you a little skeptical. I guess I think for us to really buy the whole Christ thingwe have to see it and experience it for ourselves. And that means we have to go looking for it

That's what I'm asking of you todayis to just pro-actively, go looking for it. You don't have to begin with the end in mind yet because you're not sure. But, you're here today because you're at least, curious. Make this the year, you make good use of your timeof your lifetry to be closer to Godand see what you find.

Let's be real honest as we wrap this up. We tend to think this mysterious process of being closer to God is illusiveis hard for us to really put our finger on. I want to tell you that my experience is when we go looking for God, he's usually about an arm's length away. In fact, James chapter 4 verse 8 says, "Come near to God and He will come near to you."

This is not a game of hide and seek for him. He's just waiting for us to reach out and touch him. All we have to do is make a moveHe will respondthat's what he's waiting forus. If we seriously and sincerely make the time to be closer to Godbelieve methat's exactly what will happen. It is as easy as thatand as difficult as re-evaluating and restructuring how we spend our time.

Our 3 habits or being proactive, beginning with the end in mind, and putting first things first, sound like a very simple 1-2-3 approach to being closer to God. But for some us, we need to spend the next 30 days just trying to be pro-activeusing the right language in our every day conversations. It's walking the walk. It's doing what we say is important to us regardless of how we feel.

For methis is the toughest one. It's easy for me to sit here listening to a message on a Sunday morning and agree whole heartedly with the principles. It's another for me to model them Monday night at home around 7:30 when all I want to do is relax This is not simple. But simply being pro-active can be the difference between a life we loathand a life we love.

And then next year, when resolution time rolls around, you can take a pass on a new resolution, because this resolution will never be fully realized as long as you and I are breathing. Because our resolution is to be closer to God