SCRIPTURE: Acts 1:4-5
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: January 3rd, 2014
4On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4-5)
Happy New Year! People all over the world celebrate the end of 2013 and welcome the start of 2014. Behind the champagnes over the bar, the party on the streets, and the colourful fireworks in the sky, lingers the age old question: "What are your New Year Resolutions?"
Then comes an increasingly common reply which sounds either like "I have resolved not to make any more New Year Resolutions," or "My New Year resolution is not to make any more New Year resolutions." Such statements are increasingly "same old, same old."
As I was thinking about how more people are giving up the making of any resolutions altogether, I cannot help but wonder whether resolutions themselves fail not because of a lack of resolve, but for a lack of realism. Last year, I listed five New Year resolutions for my readers to consider. This year, I want to follow up with another five. They are not exactly new, but are some that we can all ponder and maybe embark upon. It is more important to make a small number of good resolutions instead of too many frivolous and impossible ones. I call it the 5Rs of New Year Resolutions. They are the Repetitions of punctuality; the Restoration of our commitment to promises made; Revelation from above; Resolution written down; and finally to participate in a spiritual Revolution. The first two can be done immediately. The next three require the disciplines of waiting, of pondering, wondering, and empowering.
In order to make any resolution stick, it needs to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable (or Attainable), Realistic (or Relevant), and Timely. This is also called SMART in many management circles. However, when it comes to spiritual matters, the SMART paradigm does not work as well. So this article will put forth two practical resolutions that meet the SMART requirements and three spiritual ones that help us wait, wonder, and be waken up by God.
