Faded Resolutions
Lose weight. Spend more time with the family. Earn a promotion. Read my Bible. Eat less fast food. Stop smoking. Pray more. Take a vacation. Be nicer to my kids. Get out of debt… and on and on.
Chances are, the landscape of your past is littered with old, worn out, long-forgotten resolutions. Sure, you did great in January. Maybe even the beginning of February. But let’s be honest, by the time August rolls around, the things that you resolved to do have faded from your memory.
But mixed in the heap of partially met goals is some pretty important stuff. Remember when you were going to change the world? Remember when you were going to destroy the status quo? Remember when you insisted that your life would be different… would make a difference?
So what happened? Why did you stop? Why did those goals end up forgotten? It’s time to pick them back up, dust them off, and pursue the dreams God put in your heart. Don’t miss “Faded Resolutions” Sunday, January 3 at the Vineyard.
- Share a story or two about some of your most zealous moments.
- Which “status quo” were you most passionate about changing?
- What was the net result of the Israelites choice to be disobedient and not enter the promised land? (read Numbers 13:25-33, 14:6-10 if needed)
- Read and discuss Hebrews 11:1.
- Read and discuss Rev. 21:7-8.
- Have you ever been more afraid of the bad thing that might happen, than you were driven by the incredible thing that God just might do? Can you share an example?
- What are your faded resolutions? Can you think of something you’ve felted specifically called to do, but haven’t done?
- What stopped you? What’s stopping you now?
- How can “being responsible” keep us from being obedient to the Lord?
- What might change about your life, if you truly believed that what God was leading you to do was indeed the most responsible thing to do?
below is the quote from the end of the message…you may want to read it, if time allows.
My Commitment as a Christian
(Written by a young African pastor and tacked on the wall of his house.)
I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I’m a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.
My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions few, my guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problems recognizing me – my banner will be clear!
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