Scrap that New Year's Resolution!

Here we are again, that time of year so many of us make the obligatory resolution to change something, only to revert to old patterns and broken promises to ourselves within a short time. Why is that? It's because Resolutions are really symptoms of deeper issues that need to be resolved between ourselves and God. The first is that each of us want to be God: we want to decide for ourselves what's right & wrong for us, and the best course of action. The second is our desire to play God: to control our image, problems, pain, and others; the third is our tendency to do wrong --our inability to execute our decisions for good. These three inconvenient truths must be realized in order for us to take the first step toward personal transformation: Realize that I'm not God, and admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do wrong, and that my life is unmanageable. That's Recovery Step #1. It's the truth behind Jesus first beatitude: "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need of Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs" (Matthew 5:3). I'll be unpacking this principle at Discover Church on January 3rd, but will lay out some pertinent points the rest of this week.