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My reluctant New Year’s Resolutions

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ResolutionsI’m not a big fan of making a list of resolutions every year. My experience is that they are likely to be broken or forgotten before the end of January. Resolutions are the product of good intent, but often lack commitment and a plan for achievement.

In spite of my aversion to resolutions, I did come up with five for 2013. These are things that I have been thinking about and working on anyway, so I might as well make them resolutions and share them with you. Here they are with some explanation:

  1. I resolve to be open to have my plans changed so that God can bring about something better. Instead of being locked in on what I think I need to accomplish, I want to be available for those around me. People are more important than accomplishment. I do not want to miss out on any opportunity to learn or grow or help someone else.
  2. I resolve to pray more. Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:15-16, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. (NASB) I find lots of ways to waste time; prayer is a much better use of that resource.
  3. I resolve to go slower and deeper in my Bible reading. Rather than work on reading the Bible in a year or some other fairly aggressive reading plan, I choose to read smaller portions and spend more time meditating upon them. My current plan is to read one chapter per day. At this pace, I will read through the Bible in a little over three years.
  4. I resolve to be a better steward of the body God has given me. Age and heredity have recently conspired together to force some dietary changes. In addition, I need to be more regular in getting aerobic exercise. Though I am healthy, there are a couple of indicators going in the wrong direction. I hope to show improvement in those indicators by the end of the year.
  5. I resolve to read 12 good Christian apologetics books this year. I would really like to read more than this, but I thought one per month is a reasonable objective. If you have any suggestions as to books which should be on my list, feel free to make a recommendation in the comment section.

What about you? Did you make resolutions? If so, feel free to share them in the comments.