By V. I. Kurien
Year 2002 is dead and gone and we are now in 2003. It is customary or rather became a routine for many of us to make New Year Resolutions on the last day of the year. But most of the time we forget or rather don’t bother to take an inventory of the previous year’s resolutions! Of course, many may be fulfilled and some may not! How about resolutions for the year 2003? Generally we think of making resolutions looking ahead for achieving some goals which we cherish and mostly aiming at material gains or things leading us or resulting in a better standard of living. These are all required but as “Christians” we need to make resolutions to renew our commitment to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We have to identify areas in which we can and have to grow on a day to day basis like :
- To grow in our prayer life
- To learn more from the Word of God
- To grow and increase our faith
- To dedicate ourselves for service
- To grow as a cheerful “Giver”
- To attain maturity in Christ
We have to examine ourselves in which level we are at present in these areas. Once we know where we stand now, we can set our goals in each area and then make resolution to reach that new level. As we read in Col. 3:1-2, let us set our hearts on things above as we have been raised with Christ who is now seated at the right hand of our Lord and let us set our minds also on things above, not on earthly things.
As Apostle Paul reminds us in Phil 4, Let us Rejoice in God always and Let us not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition and with Thanks giving, present our requests to God. Jerm.32:27 says ” I am the Lord, the Lord of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? We have promises of hope in Jerm.33:3 “Call to me and I will answer to you …” So let us remember all the resolutions we made as “Christian” and to renew and progress on a day to day basis. Look at the first and the last digits of year “2002” – both “2” and in same level. Now we are in year “2003” we can notice a level difference between the first and the last digit. It is one level up! So there is hope and scope for year 2003 for growth in all the six areas we had discussed! Let us all mobilise and press on with our resolutions so that by the end of the year we can be one level up . Wish you all a happy and blessed New year.
