DAILY BYTEWhy? Why do our best New Year’s resolutions go south so often? Why do good starts and new beginnings so often end up in failure? Why do the very best of ideas and intentions often fall flat?
Take the Great Wall of China for example. The Wall was an excellent idea because it was originally built by the Emperor Shi Haungdi to prevent barbarian tribes from sweeping over the hills to pillage and plunder from the Chinese. It is a massive structure and really should easily have served its purpose of safeguarding the villagers living within its walls.
Yet, after its completion, just as many barbarian tribes invaded as before. Why? Well, the inner human factor had not been taken into account. You see gate-keepers could be bribed, and often were, thus allowing raiding parties through.
The point of this little story is this: If we want to finish our journey just as strongly as we may have begun it, then we need to pay careful attention to our inner life. Almost every empire, corporation or famous person that has publicly fallen, has done so as a result of inner collapse.
If your inner world is fractured in some way, there will be only so long you can publicly fool people.
Trees have been known to suddenly topple over because even though they looked perfectly alright on the outside, their inner core had rotted. If our tendency is to work harder on our image rather than our inner reality then we are also in great danger of collapsing before we reach the finish line (remember Demas from yesterday). Ps 51.6 says, “Surely you desire truth in my innermost parts, You teach me wisdom in my inmost place”.
Right at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, we see him going through his desert temptations (see today’s focus reading). Who Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross was initially formed and shaped right here in the desert. Jesus’ inner integrity was tested in this time and he came through. It was this inner strength and faith that later saw Jesus victoriously through the trials of the cross.
Perhaps the reason our New Year resolutions often fail is because they are too concerned about our outer images and not focussed enough on our inner realities.
What resolution can you make this year that would change all that?
PRAY AS YOU GO
Holy God, we know that you desire truth to be within us. You desire our inner realities to match what we choose to portray outwardly. Help us to do this and to commit ourselves to working on our inner lives. Amen.
FOCUS READING
Matthew 4:1-11 NIV
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:
'He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"
Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."
Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
