28 Dec, 2010

Resolutions

Glorifying God with your Goals

A new year means a fresh start.  Nearly half of Americans make a New Year’s resolution, hoping that the turn of the calendar will give them inspiration to achieve their goals and dreams.  Most resolutions have to do with improving one’s self:  better health, losing weight, exercising regularly, getting a better job, improving grades, getting out of debt, becoming more organized, or taking a special trip.  Recent research states that only about 12% of people have kept or achieved their resolution by the end of the year.

Statistics: wikipedia.com

Photo: google images

 

Genesis 11:1-9

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

What does God’s Story scripture teach us about goals and resolutions?

It seems pretty clear that the people of Babel were focused and driven.  They had a goal in mind, which was to build this extraordinary tower, and they were determined to do it in their own might, even down to baking their own bricks instead of using stone that God had created. The root of their desire, according to verse four, was to make a name for themselves.  God scattered the people and confused their language so they were unable to continue with their self-centered plans.

How can I connect today’s God’s Story scripture to my life?

If you plan to make goals and resolutions this New Year, are they all about you? 
  • What if you were to make a resolution this year to introduce more friends to Jesus? 
  • What if you were to make it your goal to know God in a deeper way? 
  • What if you were to live in a way this next year that you made God’s name better known, and not your own?

How can I connect today’s God’s Story scripture and my story to others?

  • As the New Year approaches, ask others if they plan to make a New Year’s resolution.  Ask them how different their life will be this time next year if they achieve their goals. 
  • Share with someone how you have been challenged to glorify God with your resolutions this year.
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The Daily Bide is brought to you by a team of writers from Youth for Christ/USA. The writers all have various years of experience in youth ministry but share a common bond in serving Jesus and discovering what it means to abide deeply everyday and to connect God's Story with those around them. A number of the Daily Bide writers have also written portions of our 3Story® resources. You can check out our resources at the 3Story.org website or connect with our writers at 3story@yfc.net. If you have a question or a story you would like to share, please reference the Daily Bide date in your email.

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