Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. – {2 Thessalonians 1:11-12}

As the end of the year approaches and a new one begins many people turn their attention to making New Year’s resolutions. The beginning of the year seems to be a time of earnest self-reflection and a time of inspiration in which people think about the areas of their lives that they wish to improve; perhaps they want to lose weight, perhaps they want to save money, perhaps they resolve to spend more time with their family. Maybe they want to quit smoking, maybe get a promotion at work, maybe they want to run a marathon or even just attend church regularly.

But as well intentioned as people may be, for the majority who make New Year’s resolutions these good intentions don’t ever seem to last and at the end of the following year, people recount their failed resolutions and make the same ones year and year again.

In the United States a recent study showed that:

Source: Statistic Brain Research Institute (2017)

Unfortunately, Australian’s don’t seem to fare any better than our American friends:

The national survey of 1,059 respondents found that 58% of Australians – an estimated 11 million people – broke their New Year’s resolutions this year, with women the more likely to break it (64%) compared to men (54%).

It took just three months for 15 percent of Australians to break their resolutions, while 40 percent had broken their promise by September 2015.

Source: finder.com.au (2015)

The question that inevitably needs to be asked is why do so many people fail to keep their resolutions? Or alternatively, how did those who kept their resolutions in fact keep them?

According to scientific thought on the matter, keeping resolutions appears to come down to two important factors, ‘motivation’ and ‘grit’

Professor John Norcross, University of Scranton – Pennsylvania argues that in relation to New Years resolutions, inspiration is short-lived. It’s typically emulating other people and it will sustain us for a week or two. But inspiration begins to extinguish quite quickly.  Professor Norcross says that it’s 90 percent hard work. Inspiration may get us started, but it never keeps us going and that’s where motivation works. Motivation doesn’t come in a bottle. Motivation is, scientifically speaking, a series of small behaviours.

Professor Angela Lee Duckworth, University of Pennsylvania in her research identified that across all ethnic, socio-economic, educational, and psychological demographics “one characteristic emerge[s] as a significant predictor of success… grit” She defines grit as “the ability to persevere in pursuing a future goal over a long period of time and not giving up… It is having stamina. It’s sticking with your future, day-in, day-out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

So where does this knowledge and research leave us as Christians in relation to making New Year’s Resolutions? New Year’s resolutions unfortunately take their historical beginning from a pagan practice. That said however, working towards self-improvement in and of itself is not at all bad, in fact it is an actively encouraged duty.

Self-knowledge leads to humility and to trust in God, but it does not take the place of efforts for self-improvement. He who realizes his own deficiencies will spare no pains to reach the highest possible standard of physical, mental and moral excellence. – {DG 88.2}

In contrast to the usual New Year’s resolutions the world makes, our resolutions must be centred in Christ.

As you enter upon a new year, let it be with an earnest resolve to have your course onward and upward. Let your life be more elevated and exalted than it has hitherto been. Make it your aim not to seek your own interest and pleasure, but to advance the cause of your Redeemer. Remain not in a position where you ever need help yourself, and where others have to guard you to keep you in the narrow way. You may be strong to exert a sanctifying influence upon others. You may be where your soul’s interest will be awakened to do good to others, to comfort the sorrowful, strengthen the weak, and to bear your testimony for Christ whenever opportunity offers. Aim to honor God in everything, always and everywhere. Carry your religion into everything. Be thorough in whatever you undertake. – {2T 261.4}

This time last year I set about making a list of resolutions I wanted to complete over 2017. It was the first time I had ever thought to set goals and to write them down so as to keep myself accountable. I made a list of ten or so goals dividing them into physical, mental and moral. I prayed for success and throughout the year I walked and worked with my prayers in accomplishing these goals. As I stand here today I can honestly attest to having completely met all my resolutions for 2017. In terms of statistics that places me in the 9.2% and honestly why shouldn’t I nor any other Christian for that matter be in that top percent?

After all science has shown that for resolutions to succeed it takes both motivation and grit and as a Christian we should lack neither. In fact, they are evidences of our Christianity.

You should pursue so decided a course that none need to be mistaken in you. You cannot exert an influence upon the world without decision. Your resolutions may be good and sincere, but they will prove a failure unless you make God your strength and move forward with a firm determination of purpose. You should throw your whole heart into the cause and work of God. You should be in earnest to obtain an experience in the Christian life. You should exemplify Christ in your life. – {2T 262.3}

Herein lies the solemn purpose of my study this morning. As we are about to enter another year will we as Christian individuals and as a church resolve for a deeper understanding and experience in Christ? Will we awaken to the great responsibility before us to develop our moral, mental, and physical attributes to the glory of God? Will we resolve to do our part in proclaiming the message and building the church?

The truth is so many of us, like the majority of New Year’s resolution makers start out our year with good intentions and promises and then when inspiration fades and hard work and stamina are called for we sink back into an easy comfort. Whether it’s in our personal life, family life or church life, we seem to just get comfortable and complacent. I want to challenge each one of you however to make this year, a year of real difference, in your personal life and in your church life.

Its astounding that all of us will without without question spend so much time in planning for a family holiday, we will spend time in planning for a job interview, planning a house renovation, planning for a school essay. But how little time and thought do we spend in planning for our character! How little time we spend in planning for our church’s success!

God has given us our intellectual and moral powers, but to a great extent every person is the architect of his own character. Every day the structure is going up. The word of God warns us to take heed how we build, to see that our building is founded upon the eternal Rock. The time is coming when our work will stand revealed just as it is. Now is the time for all to cultivate the powers which God has given them, that they may form characters for usefulness here and for a higher life hereafter.

Every act of life, however unimportant, has its influence in forming the character. A good character is more precious than worldly possessions, and the work of forming it is the noblest in which men can engage.

Characters formed by circumstance are changeable and discordant—a mass of contraries. Their possessors have no high aim or purpose in life. They have no ennobling influence upon the characters of others. They are purposeless and powerless. – {CCh 198.7 – 199.1-2}

I have this quote pinned on my wall, it’s the first thing I see when I wake up.

We are to a large degree the architects of our characters. Do you comprehend the significance of those words? We by our every act in life are building a character for good or for evil. And yet how many of us live our lives haphazardly as though our destiny is up to chance and circumstance? How many of us will just go by from day to day, week to week and year to year just taking in what comes our way? Que sera sera, whatever will be will be.

How little effort do we make to form right characters. What was it I read earlier, self-knowledge does not take the place of efforts for self-improvement. Christianity is not a passive religion it is an active force that should propel each one of us to exert efforts proportionate to the Spirit of Grace given us in forming a character in the likeness of Christ.

Christians are to be men and women of grit and motivation.

• Noah was told by God to build an ark and over decades he resolved and worked to fulfil that goal.
• Abraham and Sarah were told they would have a child and resolved though waiting a quarter of a century to see that promise fulfilled.
• Jacob desiring Rachel for his wife resolved to work fourteen years to please his uncle Laben.
• Joseph languished in prison resolved to await the fulfillment of God’s promise.
• Moses led the Israelites in the wilderness for forty years resolving to enter the promised land.
• Christ, suffered humanities worst sufferings and humiliations, resolved to not sin but to save all of humanity.

Where and what is your resolve?

The Bibles demonstrates for us so many examples of resolute men and women but it equally demonstrates Christian’s called by name only.

And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord. – {Exodus 19:8}

We all know the Israelites made their resolution with good intentions to earnestly keep the Commandments of God. But as science tells us, inspiration can only take us so far and it wasn’t long before the resolution was completely undone, and the Israelites were worshipping the golden calf.

We are in danger of being Christians by name also unless we resolve to be otherwise. We must make our resolve here and now.

But Christ has given us no assurance that to attain perfection of character is an easy matter. A noble, all-round character is not inherited. It does not come to us by accident. A noble character is earned by individual effort through the merits and grace of Christ. God gives the talents, the powers of the mind; we form the character. It is formed by hard, stern battles with self. Conflict after conflict must be waged against hereditary tendencies. We shall have to criticize ourselves closely, and allow not one unfavorable trait to remain uncorrected.

Let no one say, I cannot remedy my defects of character. If you come to this decision, you will certainly fail of obtaining everlasting life. The impossibility lies in your own will. If you will not, then you can not overcome. The real difficulty arises from the corruption of an unsanctified heart, and an unwillingness to submit to the control of God.

Many whom God has qualified to do excellent work accomplish very little, because they attempt little. Thousands pass through life as if they had no definite object for which to live, no standard to reach. Such will obtain a reward proportionate to their works.

Remember that you will never reach a higher standard than you yourself set. Then set your mark high, and step by step, even though it be by painful effort, by self-denial and sacrifice, ascend the whole length of the ladder of progress. Let nothing hinder you. Fate has not woven its meshes about any human being so firmly that he need remain helpless and in uncertainty. Opposing circumstances should create a firm determination to overcome them. The breaking down of one barrier will give greater ability and courage to go forward. Press with determination in the right direction, and circumstances will be your helpers, not your hindrances.

Be ambitious, for the Master’s glory, to cultivate every grace of character. In every phase of your character building you are to please God. This you may do; for Enoch pleased Him though living in a degenerate age. And there are Enochs in this our day. – {COL 331.1-4, 332.1}

You could dedicate a whole sermon to unlocking the gems in that one quote. What is however clearly shows at its core are grit and motivation intertwined. This year I’ve decided to triple my list of resolutions for 2018 because I have seen God’s hand at work and I expect much more this year.

Will you join me? Will you no longer be passive Christians. Will you resolve to put to use all the powers of your moral, mental and spiritual facilities and set about to improve them. Will you employ them in the building of the church, to the fulfilling of the work. Will you join the psalmist who resolved in his heart:

But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the Lord. – {Psalm 115:18}

I’d like to conclude with a thought from Charles Spurgeon to settle our minds on gratitude and to motive us to make our resolve.

…the beginning of another year is a good time to begin blessing the Lord. For the mercies of another year, the forgiveness of another year, the provision, the instruction, the guidance, the supplies of another year, for the mercies of the year on which we enter with good heart of hope, for all our fears which have been averted, for all our hopes which have been fulfilled, for all that we have learned, for all that we have experienced, let us carry out this happy resolution that, from this time forth, we will bless the Lord! – {Charles Spurgeon, “The Right Keynote for the New Year.” January 1, 1893.}

Elder Steven Caruana