Get Pass the Mirror and Do the Do!
I used to get excited about the new years eve night… sometimes watching the New York City ball drop… but nowadays, unless it’s spent with friends and family, it’s just another night. How ever there are things I desire to do differently. But like most I have fallen short of my own goals.. I heard a sports reporter on ESPN once say “I hope your problems last as long as your new year’s resolutions.” A comedian also said his resolution was to lose 15 lbs…. few months later he has 25 lbs to go! Isn’t that how it usually goes? Funny, but so true.
I’ve done the whole, hey I’m going to lose a certain amount of weight, learn something new and basically do everything different. The thing is we often lose sight of the ‘DO.’ Because of this, I decided if I can’t keep a goal during the year, what difference is it going to make for the new year? I have to commit myself to the discipline that’s required of me no matter what time of the year it is.
Tonight the word ‘mirror’ came to my mind as I awaited for God’s direction on what to post now that the new year is upon us. Mirror is something we all use at some point in the day, especially those that like to fancy themselves from head to toe. It’s as if people forget what they look like. It reminded me of this particular scripture tonight on this last day of 2017.
James 1:21-27 (NKJV)
Doers—Not Hearers Only
21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
26 If anyone among you[a] thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
Resolutions and our walk with Christ go hand in hand. It’s the old saying “you can talk the talk but can you walk the walk?” Are you willing to do the ‘DO?’ The definition of Do means to: perform, execute, accomplish, to put forth, to bring about effect, to render, to deal with, fix, clean, arrange and/or move. What we have to decide is if our ‘DO’ is going to be of good or harm. If we stay committed… just then we may not even think of starting a new years resolution, because doing would already be in our nature. For those that have accomplish this or know what it’s like, great, more power to ya, keep going and root on everyone else. However I’m pretty sure there’s certain areas in all of our lives that could use change.
Do or Do Not!
“Do or do not, there is no try, ” are the famous words of Star Wars character Jedi Master Yoda. Naturally we want to succeed, but usually our goals have no serious emphasis behind them, our commitments usually lack the reality and sincerity. Think about it, people have more stories of how their resolutions failed than have succeeded. We constantly have a negative story to tell and look back on. In the long run, if this trend continues can have a negative effect on how we think about ourselves. As I mentioned earlier, I pretty much gave up on the whole resolution thing because I started feeling like a failure. Life does happen and certain things may keep up from doing things exactly the way we have hoped…or am I just making another excuse to why I think I can’t?
What’s the point?
As believers in Christ, all things will fall into place if we fully commit our ways to Him. However, we should never make a vow to God if we’re not serious about it. You ever tell God that you would do whatever He ask of you? Have you seriously thought about the what your actually committing to or the consequences of not doing what you said you would do? God doesn’t want broken promises. He wants you to be real with Him, as much as you want Him to be real in your life. But He can only be real if you are going to be the doer that your called to be.
Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 (NLT)
Approaching God with Care
5 [a]As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. 2 [b]Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few.
3 Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool.
4 When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. 5 It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. 6 Don’t let your mouth make you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved.
7 Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead.
The last thing I want is to make a bunch of promises not actually follow through with them. I want to feed the poor, I want to give shelter and clothing to the homeless, I desire to make a difference in the lives of others. I need to have my want’s become “This is what I ‘DO.’ Our Savior deserves our upmost highest respect, to be our first priority.
Replace the Distractions with the DO!
Mark 4:19 (NLT)
19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.
My common mistake is to keep doing what I normally do and add to my schedule of the new things I want to achieve… this can lead to big errors. My distractions have got to go. Whatever eats up our time needs to be sacrificed. I’ve learned it’s best to have a game plan, it’s best to plan ahead and write it down how it’s going to work… ideally that is. I think most people think they either have to go big or go home. From experience… it’s okay to take baby steps in the right direction. This certainly helps you pay attention to detail and build that strong foundation as you continue to progress. God’s not in a rush, no need for us to be either. Just like a tree doesn’t produce fruit over the course of one day, neither do we. It has to be nurtured, watered and pruned.
How about this year we mean what we say and say what we mean? Let’s not delay.
Matthew 5:37 (NKJV)
37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
Refined as Pure Gold 