“Tomorrow
is the devil's day, but today is God's. Satan does not care how spiritual your
intentions are, or how holy your resolutions, if only they are determined to be
done tomorrow.” That is the line which stood out to me most as I read J.C
Ryle’s Thoughts for Young Men for the
second time in my life this past weekend in preparation for the coming
semester. It is the quote, that other than Christ and His Word of course, I
hope becomes a driving factor for my semester. Procrastination is most
definitely the plague of many, and something I have first hand experience in, especially
in the realm of education, plus it affects so much more. We procrastinate
working out, eating healthy, thinking oh I’ll start next week. As the book
talks about, we far too often procrastinate when it comes to our spiritual
state. We somehow think that either salvation can be acquired after we have our
fun in life (That is, chase after the vain and useless pleasures of sin), or
that sanctification and discipline will somehow just happen when we’re older,
and we don’t have to put work into it now. We procrastinate investing in
others, sitting around waiting for people to invest into us. The sin of
procrastination is everywhere, and it is not something I want to be
characterized by like I have been in the past.
So as I
went through this first week of school, experiencing syllabus shock (on a
little side note, I am going to be very busy
this year, it’s crazy, 18 units and SLS will do that to you), I thought about
things that Lord willing I’d like to accomplish this semester. So here is a
list of goals/resolutions I have for this coming year.
1. Set aside time EVERY DAY for
scripture reading and prayer. This is where it all begins, this is where I
encounter God, this is Gods prescribed medicine to the broken soul, and the
word is Gods gift to man as it has everything pertaining to life and Godliness.
So if you could pray that I have a desire to read the scriptures, and that God
uses that time to further conform me to the Image of Christ. Psalm 1:1-2 “ Blessed
is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of
sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the
Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night."
2. Be more intentional about everything:
relationships, church, schoolwork, and even rest. This life is not our own, and
the time we have been given is meant to be spent for God’s glory. And that
means ALL OF IT, not just Sundays and Chapel. I don’t quite know how this goal
looks yet practically, but intentionality is something I’d like to learn, and
so you can definitely be praying for that. Ephesians 5:15-16 “Look carefully
then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of time,
because the days are evil.”
3. Memorize more scripture. Last
year I successfully memorized psalm 139 and that has been very helpful in my
spiritual walk. Right now I don’t have anything in mind so if you have some
ideas what to tackle send them my way! Psalm 19:7 “ The law of the Lord is
perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the
simple.”
4. Work out 3-5 times a week/Eat
healthier. This goal is obviously a little less spiritual than the other three,
but at the same time it is still within the realm of living a disciplined and
God glorifying life.
5. Have a senior year that I do not regret. This is kind of a
culmination of all the goals that I have set before you. I want to pursue the
Lord daily (through devotion and the memorization of His word), pursue others,
work hard at school, and become a little bit healthier. All that added up would
make one successful fall semester if I may say so myself.
