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New Year-New You/Back
to Basics A message by Courtney Visconti of Starr Ministries
of America Well, its January and that means a lot of New Year Resolutions have been made.
What if we decided to take this "New Year Resolution" outlook and transfer it to our Christian walk? Does anyone
want to shed some extra unwanted behaviors or attitudes? Or perhaps quit a sin? I decided to take the 3 most popular New Year
Resolutions and put a Christian spin on them. Hope you are encouraged. 1. Maintain Healthy
Weight/ Lose Weight Okay this is number one among people, so lets consider what it actually
is saying. Losing weight, maintaing weight...this is obviously about outward apperance and taking care of what you look like,
maybe even what you feel like. Resolution Substitution 1: Maintain Inward Christianity/
Lose Unbiblical Behaviors 1 Peter 3:3-4 Do not let your adornment
be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person
of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. Right here in Peter 3, we can substitute our old resolution with our new resolution. Peter writes that our
"hidden person" is much more precious to God, than how we appear on the outside. He calls for a gentle and quiet
spirit. 1 Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable
for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.
Again, this is another scripture that falls in with our revised resolution, which reminds
us, again, that the godliness we have is far more profitable than the exercise we do to keep our outward apperence how we
want it. Notice that is doesnt say that bodily exercise has no value, but when we care for the "hidden person",
our soul, we are not just doing well for ourselves but also those around us. Being "Godily" is acting the way Jesus
tells us in the scriptures. When we put His truths in practice daily we will see how much better off we will be. 2. Pay off Debt Okay, popular resolution number 2. Well, this one is actually
quite easy to substite since we will have had nothing to do with it...yet we benefit from it. Resolution Substitution 2: Realize my Debt has been Paid in Full Romans
6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Jesus came and died for our "sin debt" so that we could be forgiven and cleansed of all that we
commit in sin. When we hold on to our sins and let them condem us, we are making what Jesus came and did for not. Jesus calls
for true repentence and turning away from the sins we have in our lives. There isn't ANY sin too horrible or immoral for Him
to forgive. We shouldn't take our sins lightly, but how greatful we should be that we have someone so generous as to pay it
all off for us. 3. Quit Smoking Last
on our top three most popular New Year's Resolutions, Quit Smoking. Well, if we take this in the simplist context of the phrase,
it is stopping a habit that you know is wrong and harmful to you. I bet you know where this is going! Resolution Substitution 3: Quit ways in which we are Living like the World Quite
a long named resolution, but hey, i couldnt just say quit sinning. Although Jesus did mention that phrase, "stop sinning"
in a couple places in the bible. We all know that we need to live life how Jesus would approve. We know that we should not
sin. Ephesians 5:1-2 Be imitators
of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as
a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 2
Peter 3:14 ...make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. I
believe this resolution substitution and these 2 scriptures, make it pretty self-explainitory. I hope you are encouraged by
these New You Resolutions, because when it comes down to it that is what these substitutions are. The scripture says,...but
be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing
and perfect will. (Romans 12:2) When we are maintaing our biblical principles, losing unneccessary behaviors and sins,
and realizing continually all that Jesus had done and is doing with and for us, we are becoming more in the image of Christ.
And afterall, isn't that how we truly should desire to be?
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