Kevin Fobbs
The new decade's resolutions of faith
By Kevin Fobbs
As 2010 approaches and materializes, a new decade begins. This once-every-ten-years benchmark presents a great opportunity to not only launch a new direction for the coming year but also for the whole new decade as well.
The direction we would like our lives to take and the pathway we are preparing are going to be largely determined by the composition of the matter we journey over as well as the faith we will need to live by over the next 120 months.
Faith is the DNA ingredient that Christians possess and is therefore a powerful transformative force for good in our lives. What we are willing to do with it is literally up to our willingness to give our life and our life's direction a second chance to be greater as well as to be more dutiful to our belief, principles and the important points of our life that need to be enhanced.
A resolution of faith could quite reasonably be your own decree of direction for your life that will carry you through the next ten years as God's Ten Commandments have carried our Judeo Christian belief over the last more than two millennia.
Some might feel this is quite unusual to set resolutions for a decade instead of just for a year. Others will say, "but one year is tough enough; ten years is impossible!" But I say, "not so quick my friend!" Think about the resolutions that you make, the resolutions you want to keep, and the resolutions that you need to keep. Don't think about your decade resolutions as something that you thoughtlessly and cavalierly jot down between eggnog and cookies decorated with sprinkles or at a holiday gathering competition with family or friends over who has the neatest quirky resolutions. Give your resolutions serious thought and thoughtful contemplation.
Consider the Ten Commandments that God handed down to Moses. Do you think that God just simply affixed Ten Commandments onto two tablets because they were the first ten that he considered?
No the Ten Commandments were given as thoughtful, considered guides for our conduct as we were to live our lives and how we were to interact with each other as well as to understand and love our creator.
I know you are still thinking about the possibility that somewhere in the first, second or even fifth year, "oops, I broke number four," or "darn it number three just got wasted...again."
One of the guiding principles of a resolution is the basis for why you create it in the first place. As you say to yourself "I resolve to do..." you are therefore giving your life a pathway for commitment. Yet you must also allow yourself forgiveness just as our father in heaven allows us the opportunity to ask for forgiveness. To those God chooses to forgive, their sins will be forgotten. The order here is crucial. Forgiveness is first; forgetting is second. " For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." Heb 8:12.
As you recommit to your resolution learn from the reason why it was broken. Don't be afraid to start again.
While you are busily thinking over your list of decade resolutions I will share with you several of mine.
Kevin Fobbs' Five Resolutions for 2010–2019
Faith: "Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:" Hebrews 11:33-35.
So as you go into your new year and your new decade look at what resolutions would sincerely guide you, bring comfort to you, enhance you, strengthen you, lift you, and make you a better much improved person of faith by the dawn of 2020.
Happy New Year and Happy New Decade!
© Kevin Fobbs
December 31, 2009
As 2010 approaches and materializes, a new decade begins. This once-every-ten-years benchmark presents a great opportunity to not only launch a new direction for the coming year but also for the whole new decade as well.
The direction we would like our lives to take and the pathway we are preparing are going to be largely determined by the composition of the matter we journey over as well as the faith we will need to live by over the next 120 months.
Faith is the DNA ingredient that Christians possess and is therefore a powerful transformative force for good in our lives. What we are willing to do with it is literally up to our willingness to give our life and our life's direction a second chance to be greater as well as to be more dutiful to our belief, principles and the important points of our life that need to be enhanced.
A resolution of faith could quite reasonably be your own decree of direction for your life that will carry you through the next ten years as God's Ten Commandments have carried our Judeo Christian belief over the last more than two millennia.
Some might feel this is quite unusual to set resolutions for a decade instead of just for a year. Others will say, "but one year is tough enough; ten years is impossible!" But I say, "not so quick my friend!" Think about the resolutions that you make, the resolutions you want to keep, and the resolutions that you need to keep. Don't think about your decade resolutions as something that you thoughtlessly and cavalierly jot down between eggnog and cookies decorated with sprinkles or at a holiday gathering competition with family or friends over who has the neatest quirky resolutions. Give your resolutions serious thought and thoughtful contemplation.
Consider the Ten Commandments that God handed down to Moses. Do you think that God just simply affixed Ten Commandments onto two tablets because they were the first ten that he considered?
No the Ten Commandments were given as thoughtful, considered guides for our conduct as we were to live our lives and how we were to interact with each other as well as to understand and love our creator.
I know you are still thinking about the possibility that somewhere in the first, second or even fifth year, "oops, I broke number four," or "darn it number three just got wasted...again."
One of the guiding principles of a resolution is the basis for why you create it in the first place. As you say to yourself "I resolve to do..." you are therefore giving your life a pathway for commitment. Yet you must also allow yourself forgiveness just as our father in heaven allows us the opportunity to ask for forgiveness. To those God chooses to forgive, their sins will be forgotten. The order here is crucial. Forgiveness is first; forgetting is second. " For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." Heb 8:12.
As you recommit to your resolution learn from the reason why it was broken. Don't be afraid to start again.
While you are busily thinking over your list of decade resolutions I will share with you several of mine.
Kevin Fobbs' Five Resolutions for 2010–2019
- Have faith in God.
- Keep God's Wisdom in my heart every day.
- Allow God to guide my work, my words, and my life.
- Thank God daily for allowing me to forgive others as he has forgiven me.
- Not only believe in God...but believe God.
Faith: "Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:" Hebrews 11:33-35.
So as you go into your new year and your new decade look at what resolutions would sincerely guide you, bring comfort to you, enhance you, strengthen you, lift you, and make you a better much improved person of faith by the dawn of 2020.
Happy New Year and Happy New Decade!
© Kevin Fobbs
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