A New Year’s Resolution

If you are led to make a New Year’s resolution, let it be to follow Christ as Lord and Savior, seeking His truths through His word, and trusting in Him alone for eternal salvation.

A Promise to All Who Believe …

Acts 2:36-39 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ – this Jesus whom you crucified.” ​​ Now when they heard [this], they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” ​​ And Peter [said] to them, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ​​ “For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself.”

 Resolved –​​ 

  Jesus is both Lord and Savior

  Repentance of sin is​​ required

  A call to baptism is requested

  Forgiveness through Christ is granted

  The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is promised.

If you are led to make a New Year’s​​ resolution, let it be to follow​​ Christ as Lord​​ and Savior, seeking His truths through His word, and trusting in Him alone for eternal salvation.

 Turn from living for self to living for your Savior. ​​ Be willing to humble yourself before God, pray for His mercy and forgiveness, and profess yourself to be a follower of Christ. ​​ Answer the call to be baptized. ​​ The act of baptism will not save you but is a​​ beautiful​​ picture of your new life in Jesus – dead to the power of sin, now alive in the pursuit of sanctifying grace. ​​​​ 

 In Christ you are free, no longer controlled by worldly pleasures, your sin of the past, present, and future is forgiven. ​​ This is​​ amazing​​ grace! ​​ The wonder of the Gospel – that God would send His only Son as the ransom for the world.​​ 

 We are not left to navigate this world on our own, instead​​ we are given the Holy spirit to guide and direct us as we grow in holiness. ​​ There is now purpose. ​​ 

A genuine resolution with a changed heart and desire to follow Christ will not fail. ​​​​ This is unlike so many resolutions that begin with fervor then lose their importance as time goes by. ​​​​ In Christ’s strength, a decision to live for Him will only grow stronger.

 My New Year’s Resolution? ​​ A resolve to follow Christ more completely, to grow in His likeness, to share boldly His Gospel of salvation,​​ and​​ to bring Him honor and glory through my life. ​​​​ This is possible in His strength alone.

 It is a Happy New Year – a magnificent new beginning, an opportunity to live one more day for Jesus!

 

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Author: Sharyn Balogh

You know it's difficult to write about yourself. The most important fact I can disclose is that I'm saved by God's grace through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. My desire is to live a life honoring to God in response for the gift of salvation I've been given. This is so much easier said than done! I struggle daily with right choices, right words, right thoughts, and right actions. My best and only defense against sin is the power of God in me and for that I am inexpressibly thankful. I have three amazing grown-up children who have responded to God's call in their lives along with their spouses. One of the great joys of my life is knowing my children and their families strive to serve and follow God. My grandchildren are another wonderful joy in my life! My husband and I are blessed with four beautiful grandchildren to date with another expected very soon on September 12th. We also are thankful for the comforting knowledge that an additional three of our grandchildren, a set of twins at three months gestation and a little boy, Isaac, at four and a half months gestation, are in our Savior's presence. I have attended the same church since the day my eyes were opened to Truth over thirty years ago. How fortunate it is to have been led by God’s hand immediately to a church body that follows the Bible, no man-made doctrines, just the Word clear and strong. My husband is my best friend, my confidant, my encourager, and I still can't believe how blessed I am by his example of love and generosity towards everyone around him. He is God-fearing, compassionate, and kind and I have learned so much from him. I am a daughter to my almost 92 year-old mother, sister to three brothers, a wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, aunt, great-aunt, neighbor and friend. That means, whomever is reading this, we probably have something in common! I love every unique role I have been placed in. I'm frequently stretched and sometimes feel like silly putty that wants to bounce right back into my comfort zone. My greatest ambition is to be a follower of Jesus; a light that shines for Him at all times, in all circumstances. So, there it is, a bit about me. I guess I was able to write about myself after all! However, my existence cannot be defined without Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Savior. His love has permeated my life to His glory and my eternal thankfulness.

One thought on “A New Year’s Resolution”

  1. “One thing more, and this is brightness itself: this year we trust we shall see God glorified by us and in us. If we realize our chief end, we reach our highest enjoyment. It is the delight of the renewed heart to think that God can get glory out of such poor creatures as we are….We hope that God has been in some measure glorified in some of us during the past year, but we trust he will be glorified by us far more in the year which now begins….We wish our whole life to be a sacrifice; an altar of incense continually smoking with sweet perfume unto the Most High. Oh, to be borne through the year on the wings of praise to God.” C.H. Spurgeon, 1892

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