Fill new year with good deeds, bring blessings

The new year lies before us. At this point, it is spotless and shining.

Each of us has time this year to fill with all kinds of thoughts and helpful deeds. It is ours to decide if we will have self or others on the throne of our lives. And most of all, what about God? Will He be in front in your life or pushed to the background for another year?

My list of new year’s resolutions used to be so long it took me 10 minutes to read them. I remember one year in college I made a total of 30. In two weeks, I had broken far too many.

My usefulness in life would have been better if I had claimed my favorite verse in the Bible much earlier.

Galatians 2:20 reads like this: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me, and gave Himself for me.”

Try as we might, the load many times will be too strong to carry. The worries will cause untold distress.

It is only as this verse in Galatians becomes real in our lives that we can find “life” in the deepest sense. We will fail in our efforts, but God living in us will do it for us.

Jonathan Edwards, who was a great and useful man, made five resolutions for himself in his youth and lived by them faithfully. They are worth studying. And one who will adopt and follow them will greatly increase his meaning in life.

The resolutions are as follows:

1. Resolved: To live with all my might while I do live.
2. Resolved: Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can.
3. Resolved: Never to do anything which I should despise or think meanly of in another.
4. Resolved: Never to do anything out of revenge.
5. Resolved: Never to do anything that I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.

I like these words of Jonathan Edwards.

Many of you requested the resolutions I mentioned in a previous column.

They are not original with me but speak the exact sentiments of my heart for any year.

Here they are, and I hope they help you have a “Happy New Year.”

1. Forget past mistakes and press on to greater achievements.
2. Put first things first.
3. Make your work a joy.
4. Allow nothing to disturb your peace of mind.
5. Try to never lose self-control.
6. Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time for criticism of others.
7. Think the best, work for it and expect it.
8. Reach out to others and love more than you have at any time in your life.

And I find that the greatest promise I can make to myself for the new year is to fall in love all over again with Jesus Christ, with the Bible and constantly walk with the Holy Spirit.

If one lives in the light of eternity, every day is a joyful day.