Resolutions As A Christian

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This starts a series of posts for the month of January on Resolutions. I’m thrilled to have a number of guest posts lined up to write this excellent series, and I hope you will be encouraged and uplifted by what will be shared. 

The series will include:

Resolutions On

Christian Living

 Wife

 Mother

Homeschooling

Budgeting

Time Management 

Homemaker

Resolutions abound at this time of year.

Many of us will plan on losing weight and getting more exercise.

Others of us will have a resolution to get up earlier or form a new discipline in our life.

Some of us have financial resolutions, others have relationship resolutions.

These are all good things to attend to. The new year is a time for renewal, re-evalution and revamping.

But let’s not forget the most important thing that we must attend to…our soul and the souls of our children.

You see, We can have our finances in order…

We can lose weight, eat healthier and exercise regularily…

We can have good relationships…

we can dress modestly…

We can have a large family…

We can be outwardly godly women…

We can even make our own bread and homeschool our children…

We can have our homes tidy and orderly…

We can be the most disciplined women in the world…

But, if our souls are not flourishing…if we are hoping to gain God’s approval by these things…

If we make these things righteousness…

if we get caught up in these things and miss Christ…

it is all in vain!

The things listed above are excellent things, and building up our homes, even in the outward things are so important…

But, being a godly woman begins at the root of a relationship, a living, loving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. It begins with repentance and looking to His righteousness as our only hope.

And our souls cannot live on autopilot. They easily languish and wilt.

I would offer you a few things to practically to help focus on your soul this January as you step back and assess your life.

• Establish a daily time in the scriptures, with just you and the Lord. Find the time that fits you best, whether that is before the children are up, at naptime or even in the night. I have found that I can get my children going in their daily responsibilities and retire for a bit mid to late morning. Sometimes a child will join me, and read their own Bible at this time, or quietly play on the floor. I must admit, the interruptions may be many, but the children see that each day Mommy is making a priority to read God’s word.

• Read short passages in a godly commentary which will help you understand clearer different passages. Our family favorite is the Matthew Henry Commentary.

• Do not neglect prayer. Let’s face it, it is easier to read than pray, but we must seek to pour out our hearts to the Lord, meditating on His excellencies and petitioning Him for grace for the day, as well as the needs of others.

• Consider the duty of Family Worship, ideally with your husband leading, but even when he is not home, gather your little ones around you and daily seek God together.

• Diligently attend upon the public means of grace, the meeting together in God’s house to feed upon His word. Don’t be satisfied with baby food…but find a church home where you are feasting and drawing in deeply of Christ each week. It is easy with the fatigue of the week, and busyness of our lives to be tempted to sleep in and skip church, but make weekly worship a priority!

• Keep the whole Lord’s Day unto Him. He has given us one day in seven to rest and seek His face, use it wisely for the edification of your soul. On my blog I have posted an article called 10 Ways to Prepare for the Lord’s Day. Too often we attend church and then spend the rest of the day doing our own pleasures, but He has given us an entire day to wait upon Him. You are freed from the weekly cares of the other days, it is a gift for you!

• As you are able to, listen to edifying sermons in your home. Resources like Sermon Audio are so wonderful!

• Ask your husband or a close friend what your blind spots might be, and enlist their help in prayer over those areas.

• Take a good look at your priorities. Make sure you are not so busy serving and doing for Christ and forgetting to sit quietly at His feet and truly know HIM.

In a flight emergency situation the instructions are always to attend to yourself first, then those around you. To put the oxygen on yourself before your children. This is not selfish, this is loving your family.

If mama is not walking close with the Lord, the whole family will suffer.

If we are so busy with the externals of running our homes and neglect a close walk with the Messiah we have failed.

I will close with a couple of Resolutions that Jonathan Edwards made…I would encourage you to head over and read the entire list...

48. Resolved, constantly, with the utmost niceness and diligence, and the strictest scrutiny, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or not; that when I come to die, I may not have any negligence respecting this to repent of. May 26, 1723.
52. I frequently hear persons in old age, say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age. July 8, 1723.
53. Resolved, to improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my Redeemer. July 8, 1723.
68. Resolved, to confess frankly to myself all that which I find in myself, either infirmity or sin; and, if it be what concerns religion, also to confess the whole case to God, and implore needed help. July 23, and August 10, 1723.
May each one of us walk closer to Jesus in 2012 as we are one more year closer to eternity!

Jenny is an ordinary mom with an extraordinary God. Following a beautiful courtship, she has been married to her best friend for over 16 years. Jenny homeschools her 7 children (ages 14-9mo). When she is not teaching, playing with her children, or changing diapers, she loves to sing, write, blog and clean…yes, clean. As a recovering OCD perfectionist and “neat freak” she still has unmatched socks, messy closets and is allergic to mornings. Jenny is also the author of the ebook Embracing the Mess. Come and be encouraged, blessed and challenged in your high calling as a wife and mother over at A Mother’s Heritage. You may also follow her on Facebook, or Twitter.