A New Year's Resolution

"So I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I may daily perform my vows."

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The approach of a new year is a time for making resolutions of things we determine to do during it. Children of God often state their resolutions in the context of a covenant, vowing anew to perform those deeds which receive the approbation of God. Such vows are not to be treated lightly. "When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed. It is better not to vow than to vow and not pay" (Ecclesiastes 5:4f). The psalmist David therefore determined to "daily perform my vows" (the cited text). Among the things that children of God should vow daily to perform are ...

I. I WILL DAILY SING PRAISES TO GOD.

The psalmist has resolved in our text, "So I will sing praise to Your name forever, that I may daily perform my vows." Children of God should be found daily "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:19f).

II. I WILL DAILY COMMUNE WITH GOD IN PRAYER.

Paul the apostle exhorts the saints in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to "pray without ceasing." To pray is not to merely recite a prayer, but to commune with God in prayer. To commune with God in prayer is to thank Him for blessings already received and to petition Him for present needs (Philippians 4:6; Matthew 6:11). Saints should do so daily without ceasing.

III. I WILL DAILY SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES.

It is written concerning the Bereans in Acts 17:11, "These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." We should not merely read the Scriptures daily. We should "search the Scriptures" because Jesus said "they ... testify of Me" (John 5:39). We should search for Christ in every passage (Luke 24:27).

IV. I WILL DAILY DELIGHT IN GOD'S LAW.

A sacred psalmist exclaims in Psalm 119:97, "Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day." The law is God's precept to love Him supremely and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40 / Mark 12:30f). He who loves God will love His law. He who loves God's law will meditate upon it. He who meditates upon God's law once will do so continuously.

V. I WILL DAILY DENY MYSELF TO FOLLOW CHRIST.

Jesus Christ instructs us in Luke 9:23, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." Denial of self and commitment to Christ is not done only at the beginning of the Christian walk. These are daily acts of devotion. One has not truly ever resolved to seek Christ and to follow Him unless he has also resolved to do so daily forever.

VI. I WILL DAILY LIVE IN ACCORD WITH THE SAINTS.

We read of the first church in Acts 2:46f, "So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people." They daily worshiped together, ate meals together, and praised God together. As a result, they were held in favor by unbelievers. Unbelievers scorn schismatic and meddling professors of religion, but look with favor upon those who live in accord and mind their own business.

VII. I WILL DAILY WITNESS FOR CHRIST.

We read furthermore of the first church in Acts 5:42, "And daily in thetemple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ." God forbid that His people today should cease to do so. We should endeavor to speak of Christ to some acquaintance every day, even if our testimony is only a tract handed to them. And we should ever obey the admonition to "let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ" (Philippians 1:27). Many a soul has been won to Christ through the gospel preached daily in the life of a believing relative or friend (see 1 Peter 3:1f).