Minute Meditations

This is the time of year when we hear a lot about resolutions. At the close of one year and the beginning of a new one many companies take stock to see where they are and where they are going. It seems appropriate for us as individuals to also review and take stock for the future. There isn’t much use of making a long list of resolutions though if we break all of them the first week and throw the list away the second. To resolve to improve ourselves should not be limited to once a year either. There is room for improvement in all of us and daily we should strive to do better.

Instead of the usual type of resolutions, we might be wise to follow the example of Benjamin Franklin who discovered that he lacked many of the attributes he wanted to acquire. He found that he could not adequately give attention to all his faults at once so he chose those virtues he most wanted to acquire and those faults that he most wanted to conquer. He then took one each week and gave it his full attention. He discovered that a significant change could be noticed in concentrating on one at a time. He chose thirteen and devoted a full week to each. In a year he was able to work on each one four times and by that time he had completely transformed his personality.

We want to have the mind of Christ, we want to be followers of Paul even as he was of Christ, we want to add to our faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love. We want to acquire the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, long- su6ering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. It seems reasonable that we can not do this all at once and yet we shall never arrive unless we begin. So let us be wise and instead of making a list of resolutions that are broken before the ink dries, let us thoughtfully select those faults we want to conquer and those virtues we want to acquire and take one at a time and devote a whole week to it. By Saturday we will find that it is much more a part of us than it was on Monday. There is a battle to be fought and a war to be won. It is the battle between the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. Paul tells us, ”I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members.” As we take inventory we need to recognize these two factions which war against each other within us.

This is why resolutions made with the best of intentions fail so miserably. We need to concentrate our attack. To resolve to improve should always be in season but as we now face a new year, let us not be vague. Let us list those specific attributes we want to acquire and give our full attention to each one for a full week. A concerted effort of this type will have God’s blessing and we will grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.