It’s that time again. Do you (still) make New Year’s resolutions? If not, is it because you know they have a very short shelf life? Is it because you find you keep making the same ones? Are they curtailing something like candy, alcohol, watching TV or surfing too much? Or do you resolve to do something positive with your life – eat healthfully, start an
exercise program, get out more, start a new hobby or something similar?
Is it time to get serious about your New Year’s resolution this year? Would any of this year’s Top Five resolutions work for you?
The first of the fab five is a commitment to remove any reasonable doubt you may be harbouring that you were created by a Great Power that loves you and offers you eternal life. Simple reasoning can help you do this. You’ll find sound reasoning in the Meaning of Life Video Series, the post - Do You Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, a book by the same name and in Chapter 12 of Discovering Life’s Purpose. But maybe your unshakeable faith has banished the doubt others experience. Why not try the second resolution?
The second of the top five is to undertake to establish knowledge that your life’s meaning has been predetermined by that Great Power and that its predetermination trumps anything you might come up with. Once again the reasoning in the Meaning of Life Video Series and, this time, in Chapter 13 of Discovering Life’s Purpose can eliminate any doubt that keeps this crucial knowledge from you. Can anything be more important than discovering what has been predetermined as your life’s purpose and then acting on it? Can you really count on a do-over? But wait, the third may be even more crucial?
The third is to commit to deepening your understanding of what your life’s purpose – that you love the Great Power more than anyone and everyone as yourself – demands of you. You’ll find a lot of food for thought in All the Alls in the Greatest Commandment, The Neighbour in the Greatest Commandment, in Chapter 19 – Love Your God and in Chapter 21 – Love Your Neighbour in Discovering Life’s Purpose.
The fourth is to commit to becoming at one with the Great Power by daily establishing an intimate two-way conversation. This may seem impossible with a Great Power that doesn’t speak, or even show itself to you. However, it is remarkably doable. The first steps are to understand why it doesn’t speak by digesting Why Our Creator Keeps Itself Hidden from Us and then how in Is Your Creator Awaiting a Response to Its Constant Outreach. The commitment of this resolution is to unfailingly and daily search your mind for the Great Power’s unspoken message(s) to you, respond in words or thoughts and then keep an eye open for its reply to your response. Before long, this practice becomes a rich conversation and produces a profound intimacy that makes you at one with The Great Power (where you belong).
The fifth is to supplement simple acceptance that Jesus Christ was God Incarnate with sound, reasoned knowledge that He was. You’ll find prerequisite reasoning illustrated in the Meaning of Life Video Series, beginning with Video 25 – Why do many people dismiss the claim that Jesus is the Son of God – and continuing with Videos 26-28 and, as well, in Chapter 16 – Jesus Christ - Son of God in Discovering Life’s Purpose. And don’t worry that your sound knowledge requires you to become Christian! You can know Jesus was God Incarnate because He came to speak to everyone, whether they call the Great Power God, Allah, Parameshwar, the Spirit Force or any other name. Once you know Jesus was God Incarnate, you know His teachings are the Word of God. You will be compelled to internalize every word He spoke. You’ll find a unique way of doing this in the Appendix of Discovering Life’s Purpose.
Del H. Smith conducts research into life’s meaning and is the award-winning author of the AMAZON Best Seller, Discovering Life’s Purpose.