Casandra Martin

I am thankful for my friends today. Living out The Jesus Resolution doesn’t happen in a vacuum or on an island. It requires others – to help us, hold us, make us better, slow us down, laugh with us, cry for us, and cheer us on. I am especially thankful for the way my friends help me see Jesus – where He is working, how He is moving, the ways in which He is calling me to be more His.

Most of the time I am like Peter – stubborn and a little slow. Fortunately, he has a friend. There is a fishing story in John 21 that captures what it means for friends to walk in The Jesus Resolution together.

It is some time after the resurrection. Jesus has appeared to the disciples and they are now waiting by the Sea of Galilee. Peter really isn’t a sit-around kind of guy. He decides to go fishing, and all his friends pile in the boat with him. They spend a frustrating night casting lines, throwing nets, and coming up empty.

Early in the morning, a man appears on the shore and tells them to throw their empty nets to the other side of the boat. Immediately, the ropes begin to drag and the boat slows down. The men gather around the side of the boat and begin to haul in fish – a lot of fish! As the boat gets heavier and their hearts get lighter, one of the guys in the boat looks back at the shore. He takes a good long look and pokes Peter in the side. “It is the Lord!”

Stop and watch the re-play of this moment. Peter is busy with fish. He is hauling up lines, grinning at his buddies, pulling in nets, moving fish around the deck of the boat, and laughing some more. And he misses it. His eyes don’t look for God in the moment. But his friend’s do. All it takes is one mention of Jesus to redirect Peter’s focus and heart. Before we know it, he is out of the boat and on his way to Jesus’ side.

I need friends like that. Friends who will point me to Jesus. Friends who will help me see Him when I am too busy, tired, frustrated, or burdened to look for Him myself. Friends who will stand by my side and say, “It is the Lord!”

There is a story in Genesis 28 that just catches me every time I read it. Jacob is running for his life from Esau after stealing his brother’s blessing. Everything he thought he was going to gain by deception, he lost. He has no home, no family, no position, no power, no wealth, and no control. He now faces the encroaching darkness as night falls across the desert. Pulling up a rock for a pillow, Jacob lies down to go to sleep.

Resting his head on a stone, Jacob is wretched, alone, and vulnerable. Then something wonderful happens. God chooses this moment to tap Jacob on the shoulder and introduce Himself. At the moment when Jacob must feel most alone. At the time when Jacob has nothing to bring to the table but guilt and shame. In the circumstance when he is most exposed as a fraud and a liar, God decides to open Jacob’s eyes. The Lord gives Jacob a dream of a stairway resting on the earth and extending up into heaven. Angels ascend and descend the stairway; while above it the Lord stands and makes Jacob a series of jaw-dropping, life-altering, heart-changing promises. He promises Jacob lands, descendants, and protection. He promises that Jacob and his family will be a source of great blessing for all the peoples of the earth. He commits Himself to being with Jacob and fulfilling by His own power all that He has in mind for Jacob.

It is Jacob’s reaction to this moment that touches my heart. In Genesis 28:16, Jacob awakes from this amazing dream and says, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” How many times have I stood in Jacob’s place? How many days have gone by in which I was so focused on myself, my to-do list, and fulfilling my own desires that I missed Him? How many holy moments have found me with my eyes closed, have caught me unaware? Too many.

The Jesus Resolution calls me to live with open eyes. Eyes that are focused on the presence and movement of God. Eyes that help me see that He is very near – loving, forgiving, providing, protecting, and claiming me as His own. I resolve today to keep my eyes open and my heart aware. Surely the Lord is in this place. I don’t want to miss Him.

Embracing The Jesus Resolution begins with understanding God’s purpose for our lives. Purpose is essential to our well-being. God knew that we needed the direction, drive, and long-term determination that having purpose provides. Without it, we drift aimlessly through our days and emptiness slowly devours our souls.

The world holds out many purposes as good and worthwhile – accumulate material things, gain education, achieve success, obtain power, or be recognizable. Follow any of these paths, the world says, and you will have a full, meaningful life.

Despite the flashy offers and subtle pressure our society places on us, there is only one purpose that is worth the investment of our hearts – The Jesus Resolution. God spells out His purpose for our lives in Romans 8:28-29 when He says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

This is an amazing promise and a cause for wonder. God tells us that when we walk in relationship with Him, there are no ordinary moments. Every minute, every event, everything that happens in us and around us can and will be used to God’s good purpose in our lives. Surrendering our hearts to The Jesus Resolution opens the door for God to take everything that happens and use it to shape us into the image of His Son.

Living fully in The Jesus Resolution means being clear about my purpose. I must resist the urge to invest myself in lesser goals and lower adventures. I must look at my time differently – every moment is an opportunity for God to work on my heart. I can see my days with new eyes. No matter what happens today – whether ordinary or special, touched by tragedy or celebration – God can take what happens today, redeem it, and use it in me for His glory.

We serve a God of fresh starts and new beginnings. He promises that His mercies will be new every morning and that u-turns make heaven erupt with joy. As a new year begins, we delight in the clean slate that it offers us. New Year’s resolutions inspire us to start over and begin anew.

Amid all the resolutions we make about our health, our relationships, our work, and our play, I want to challenge you to join me in a resolution that is at the heart of who God is and who He calls us to be. The Jesus Resolution.

The Jesus Resolution is the purpose for which we were created. It is God’s ultimate desire for you. It is the reason behind the cross and the empty tomb. God wants to transform you to look like Jesus. He wants to form you into a mirror image of Christ. He wants others to look at your life and see His Son. He wants your words to be an echo of His voice. He wants the way you move, work, serve, love, and play to resonate with the person of Jesus.

Paul lived and spoke about The Jesus Resolution. He tells his friends in Corinth – “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (I Corinthians 2:2)  John writes to his loved ones and says, “Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” (I John 2:6)

So here is my resolution – I want to immerse myself in Jesus. I want Him to soak into every part of who I am. I want to spend this year learning and surrendering to what it means to walk as Jesus did. I resolve to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I commit to living more fully in the transformation God wants to work within me.

This is more than a passing New Year’s phase. This is the promise and the challenge that God sets out before us. Be His. Be like His Son. Make The Jesus Resolution. Will you join me?