Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Happy New Year! It has been hard to find worthy articles to ponder this week. Much of the writing on the internet has been self-focused and not God-focused. Nonetheless, I found a few worthy of your attention at the start of this great year of our Lord, 2022.

A New Year Worthy of God

“Good resolves begin and end with God. Which means good resolves begin and persevere through prayer. And so Paul does not merely charge the Thessalonians to live worthy of their calling; he prays for them to be made worthy. “To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling. . . .”

Resolve To Memorize Scripture

“This is also the weapon the Lord Jesus employed in his battle against the same enemy. Just as Jesus was tempted in the wilderness and called up memorized Scripture to fight, so should we.”

The Resolution Solution

Although I have seen some positive things about Franklin in the past year, the comparison in this article serves to show one centered on self, versus one centered on Christ. The author writes: “We have to admit that our own resolutions to improve our lives, however well-intentioned and sincerely meant, often have little effect. We cannot even keep our resolutions to lose weight or work out at the gym, much less eliminate our sins of lust and cruelty. Surely Edwards would agree with Martin Luther, who, in his spiritual counseling, would urge tormented souls to stop looking at themselves. Instead, they should look outside themselves to Christ on the cross.”

New Year’s Resolution—Read Rushdoony!

Rushdoony is a controversial figure, but I have found much of what people have said to be slander, after actually reading Rushdoony. His perceptions on Scripture and the application of it are worthy of being acquainted with. “You are invited to check out the Chalcedon Teacher Training Institute where you will find a number of R. J. Rushdoony’s books put into a course format. The courses involve: reading through a book chapter by chapter, listening to a relevant lecture or reading a relevant article, going through questions for thought and discussion, and exploring the opportunity to write a position paper and submit it for evaluation and positive criticism.”

Four Different Responses to Christ

“This leads us to the fourth response, the wise men. They knew much less than the religious leaders, but they acted on what they knew. In God’s sovereignty, he revealed to them that the king of the Jews had been born. They sacrificed time, safety, and riches to come to worship the newborn king. They represent those who act based on what they know. They did not feel threatened, nor were they afraid of losing their calm or being ignorant to what they knew, but they acted based on what they did know.”