Dec. 30, 2007

“New Year Resolutions”

In a couple of days, the year 2007, will be, but a memory. That whole year will be gone, never to be seen again. You and I have done many things this past year.

We have celebrated births, and mourned deaths.
We have had successes, and suffered failures.
We have loved, and lost.

Now what? Well, usually, on (or), about the last day of the year, we traditionally make New Year’s Resolutions.

For some, they simply look to the future, at something they’d like to do, or accomplish. One of the most common Resolutions, is to lose weight. People who have gained a few extra pounds over the holidays, want to get rid of it, and return to their ideal weight. Others have gained, over a long period of time, and those pounds, are generally harder to lose.

Some other Resolutions are to read more, spend more time with family and friends, and spend their hard-earned money - more wisely.

These are all good Resolutions, but there seems to be something missing. For, I believe that a person cannot plan his or her future, until they know and understand their past.

Proverbs 3, tells us to…

“…lean not onto thine own understanding…”
So, if we are to make, sensable and achievable, New Year Resolutions, by ‘knowing and understanding our past,’ but we can’t rely on our own understanding, then what are we to do.

How are we to set, follow, and achieve our new Proclamations?

Well, the rest of Proverbs 3:5-6, gives us some instructions.

“Trust in the LORD, with all your heart; and do not rely on your own understanding; in all thy ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”

We make many important decisions in the run of a day, week, month, or year. Sometimes we need, and seek, advice, but we feel we can’t trust just anyone, with such an important task. Often, because of lack of knowledge or expertise, we chose not to do anything at all.

Proverbs says that we CAN trust someone; that someone is the LORD. God knows what is best for us, for He created us, wrote our life story - before we were even born, and can see eternity; and who will be there.

He is a better judge of what we want/need, than we are! We must trust in Him completely, in every choice we make. But, we should not omit careful thinking (though), and never belittle our God-given ability to reason; but we should not trust our own ideas, to the exclusion of all others. This will only lead to complacency and failure.

My New Year’s Resolution sounds simply, and can only become complicated, if I allow it to be. My focus for the coming year is found in Psalm 63:6-8;

“I lie awake thinking of You, mediating on You through the night. I think how much You have helped me; I sing for joy in the shadow of Your protecting wings. I follow close behind You; Your strong right hand holds me securely.”

The ‘You’ in this passage is God. The ‘I’ in this passage is me, but can be all of us.

That passage is used by Tommy Tenney, the author of the best-selling book; The God Chasers.

A God Chaser is a person, whose passion for God’s presence, presses him or her, to chase the impossible, in hopes that the
un-catchable, might catch them.

For example, a child chases the father, all around the house, until, suddenly, the father turns around, and his strong and loving arms, enfold the child. The chaser/pursuer becomes the captive; the child has become enslaved in the Father’s love.

A God Chaser is a person, whose passion for God’s presence, presses him or her, to chase the impossible, in hopes that the
un-catchable, might catch them.



The Apostle, Paul tells us;
“I chase after, that I may catch, that, which apprehended me,”

My New Year’s Resolution, is to become a God Chaser.

It can be said many ways;

I follow close behind You…
My soul follows hard after thee…
My soul clings to you…
I humbly follow thee with all my heart…
I cling to you…

If we combine the passage, from Psalm 63, and the passage from Proverbs 3; you get a blueprint for my Resolution. And, not only will you get a blueprint for the coming year, but you have a plan, strategy, method, formula, design for life.

Now, you must look back, at the past year, and decide if you have been pursing God, or has He been pursuing you? And the only way you can accomplish that, is by using Proverbs, and asking ourselves; did, I humbly follow thee with all my heart?

There is a vast difference between having an encounter with God, and simply having a relationship with Him. God Chasers seek to have an encounter with the Lord.



Moses was a God Chaser, after he finally realized the power of God, in his weakness. Uncertain of himself, he simply turned to God and said, ‘use me.’ And God did, in a big way – during the Exodus.

From Moses we hear these words;
‘If you ever get so hungry for God,
That you are in pursuit of Him,
He will do things for you,
That He won’t do for anybody else.’

Job was a God Chaser, he said;
“Oh that I knew where I might find Him!”

David chased after God;
“My soul followeth hard after Thee.”

Paul was one as well;
“That I may know Him…”

Many other Biblical figures, also were, and countless other ordinary people, had or has, that insatiable hunger to know the Lord.

These are people whose relentless, passionate pursuit of Christ, often made them look foolish, in the eyes of others; but having tasted His goodness, having seen the invisible, and having been in His presence – they could not, can not, would not, and will not be satisfied with anything else.

The passionate pursuit of the presence of God (x2); that is what a God Chaser does. Being caught, by that, which they pursue, is what happens.

And, that is what will happen to you; seek Him, and He will come looking for you. God Chasers are found, in their seeking.

Are you seeking a relationship with the Lord, or do you want to encounter God? Are you seeking salvation, or are you ‘in hot pursuit’ of the Lord?

My Proclamation, for the coming year, is to become a God Chaser; what’s your New Year’s Resolution?

Let us pray: