Lord what would you have me do? On setting resolutions....

My housemate, her fiancé and I were sitting around breakfast brunch at the weekend joking about past resolutions we had had at previous New Years. My housemate pointed out that she recalls me setting 4 or 5 goals last year and I can't for the life of me remember any of them!! If you’re anything like me you might have given up setting New Years resolutions because you think to yourself "well I never achieve them anyway, so there's no point in getting downhearted!"

I really enjoyed reading a post on Christian Woman blogging (for full article see Christian woman blogging Resolved). Blogger Julie Cosgrove quotes this passage, "To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfil every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power"  (2 Thessalonians 1:11.) In her entry she says, "What would happen this year if we each turned those New Year’s want-to-do’s into New Life’s I-can-do’s, through Him? Even better, what if we left the resolving up to God and asked Him, “Lord, what will you have me do?”   

I'm asking myself that question "What would God have me do?" I've been particularly struck this week by weaknesses in my character (I recommend my friend Scott Taylor's sermon on character transformation at Reading Family Church website on this subject. See Sermon Sunday 9th). I know that I can have difficulties with being blunt, judgemental, impatient, impulsive and proud. I've been asking God this week to highlight some key aspects of my character He would like to change. The bible is quite clear that character stuff is more important than gifting (see 1 Corinthians 13 v1-7).  I know that I can't change who I am by myself. I need the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to do this. Holy Spirit help!

This season I would encourage you to ask God "What would you have me do? What aspects of my character would Jesus like to refine?" Jesus says "I will refine them like silver and test them like gold, they will call on my name and I will answer them" (Zech 13:9) and that He is the potter who moulds us - the clay. In Isaiah it says clay wouldn’t say to the Potter "what are you making?" but "Lord….we are the clay, you are the Potter, we are the work of your hand"... so do what you want Lord!!!! (see Isaiah 45v9 and 64 v 8). This Christmas I realise that in moulding my character it can be a painful and submitting place to be. Lord please give me the grace to be refined by your fire and not question your purposes. Amen