The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast) - New Years Resolution 2.0

Episode Date: January 4, 2018

Below are eight questions that can act as a guide in making a good New Year's resolution. Ask yourself the following questions: Will this resolution draw me toward Christ or away from Him? Sometimes our goals become self-centered and tend to draw us away from Christ and onto our own agenda. Keep a holy card or crucifix with you when you consider a New Year's resolution. Will this resolution enhance my vocation in life? In other words, will it help me as a parent, spouse, single person, priest, or religious? Starting with your vocation is a great place to determine future action. For example, if you are a father some of your decisions are already made. Becoming a better father is something that you know God wants you to do, even more than fitting into that pair of pants in your closet. Does this resolution have eternal impact on my life and those around me? The decisions that we make today have eternal impact, so it becomes important to budget your time and resources accordingly. Have I prayed about it and asked God to lead me in my decisions? James 4:15 says that our future decisions should keep in mind the phrase, “if it is the Lord's will.” We must always qualify our plans with this phrase as sometimes it may be the will of the Lord for us to accomplish a certain thing, but we may be off when it comes to the timing. Will this resolution take time and resources away from those around me who really depend upon me? We only have so many hours in a day and so many dollars in the bank, so it becomes very important to ask ourselves if the main things in our lives are being taken care of or neglected? If you have a family, it's a good idea to consult your spouse if you are about to allocate funds or time for your special project. Am I prepared to accompany my resolution with prayer and fortitude? The prophet Zechariah once said, “not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” Simply making the resolution will not bring about the desired results. Rather, fortitude and a constant reliance upon the spirit of God is what brings about the victory in our lives. Ask yourself if you are prepared to soak this change in your life with daily prayer. Am I prepared to sacrifice and offer up that which is uncomfortable in order to attain my resolution? Whether it be in sports or in the spiritual life, becoming good at something does not come without practice and sacrifice. As “location” is the key to real estate, so practice is the key to the virtuous life. Change comes by habitually practicing the good. Does this resolution further your walk with Christ and glorify the Lord or does vanity compel you? It's a wonderful thing to be physically fit, but if being fit is for the purpose of getting noticed, then your heart is in the wrong place. Become fit so that you can be a more effective witness for Christ. Remember all those times you said, "I'm too tired to do (fill in the blank)?

You're listening to The Jeff Kaven Show, Episode 46, New Year's Resolution 2.0. Hey, I'm Jeff Kavins. How do you simplify your life? How do you study the Bible? All the way from motorcycle trips to raising kids, we're going to talk about the faith and life in general. It's the Jeff Kaven Show. And I want to welcome you to the show and wish you a very happy new year. This is the first show of If you're listening in order, if you're out of order, it's still going to be a good show, especially if you're looking at making resolutions in your life. And this is the time of the year where everybody kind of comes up with their New Year's resolution.

They're through with Christmas, and they have gained their weight from eating and buying and everything else. And there's this natural sense of, I've got to purge. I've got to get rid of some of this stuff. And typically New Year's resolutions kind of center around losing weight. exercising, reading more, watching less TV, you know, that type of thing. Rarely do you hear people say, for New Year's Resolution, I'm going to watch more TV this year. I'm going to eat more this year. It's usually trimming things down a bit.

But I do hope you had a good Christmas, and I do hope that 2018 for you is going to be a good year. If you're listening to this two or three years later, whatever year it is, I hope it's going to be a good year for you. And I pray that it will. You know, this time of year, we do talk about resolutions, and in some ways it gets a little tiresome because people grow weary of resolutions because they know deep down inside, they're probably not going to keep it, but the effort in making a resolution is somewhat satisfying, you know, that because I thought of it, therefore I am, and it doesn't work that way. So I want to talk to you today about making some good resolutions and what goes into making a good

resolution for your year. And that's why I call it 2.0 because by the time you listen to this, chances are you would have, we'll have already made some kind of New Year's resolution. And the chances are that you might have even given up on it already. So I want to help you make a resolution 2.0. And that is a little bit better resolution, a little bit more mature resolution in your life. Hey, before we get to that, got some good email, some good feedback from you. Thank you very much. And you can can get a hold of me at The Jeff Kaven Show at ascensionpress.com. Kelly writes in and says, I just wanted to thank you for your podcast. Reflecting on 2017, I think listening to your

episode, How to Start Reading Your Bible, really made a big difference in my spiritual life. And she goes on and says that she's reading the Bible on a regular basis, although she admits a very slow pace. That's okay. She went on and said that another episode that spoke to her this last year was Benefits of Humility, and she said I looked up the litany of humility, and that was really a rough prayer for me to say, and that's how I know that I needed to say it. Oh, you're right, Kelly. And we included that litany of humility in the show notes for that show's The Benefits of Humility. You can find that on iTunes and also on ascensionpresents.com. She said her third favorite show was the show about the smartphone. She said, your tip about turning on worship

music has helped when I'm feeling anxious. Well, Kelly, thank you so much for writing. And I'm glad that those three shows in particular were of benefit to you. By the way, if you are interested in the backlog of the shows, you can go ahead and sign in at iTunes, and they will give you all of my shows on iTunes. And you can go to ascensionpresents.com, and you can get the entire backlog of all the shows. At this point, we've done 45 shows all on really practical topics that I think are going to make a difference in your life. Someone asked me the other day, they said, if I go to iTunes and sign up or subscribe for your show and then I rank it or give a comment, does that really help your show? And if so, how does it? And the answer is yes.

It absolutely does help the show because it helps in the rankings. It helps in the the algorithms of iTunes to determine how many people are interested in a particular show. So I appreciate it. If you go to iTunes and you rank the show, that's very, very helpful. And it helps to get this kind of message that we're giving on the show to other people that may need to hear it in their life. Okay, we're going to talk about making a New Year's resolution 2.0, that is a little bit better resolution.

We've come to that time of the year where we make the big New Year's resolution. And oftentimes we don't think through the price or the consequences of resolutions that are set in haste or they are trends that everybody is, you know, making this resolution to eat or drink less pop or drink less alcohol or something like that. The result is that we usually are disappointed with ourselves and feel further behind than we had prior to starting out. And that's the danger of making serial resolutions that we just don't follow up on. And oftentimes the resolutions that we make are very self-centered, and they don't have an anchor that really holds us to it. Now, there's nothing wrong with making resolutions on January 1st or the first month of the year, as now you're doing in January. as many times that turns the new year into an opportunity for new change in your life. And in this podcast, I hope to provide you with some really helpful tips on making wholly productive and life-changing resolutions that are healthy for you and healthy for those around you and will keep eternity in mind.

Now, one of the biggest mistakes that we make when we make New Year's resolutions is that we cut away the branches. Now, what I mean by that is that when we make a resolution, it's usually to solve a problem. It's usually to fortify our life to improve ourselves in some way or improve our walk with the Lord in some way. But oftentimes we hack away at the branches when the root is really the problem. The root is the problem. Like, for example, in overeating, we say, well, we're going to lose weight this year. And the branches that we're cutting away are that we're going to drink less or something like that. When the root of the problem is really our relationship with the Lord and we feel alone and we feel destitute.

Another example, the person who makes a New Year's resolution to lose 25 pounds of them. say, oftentimes is missing the real problem of gluttony, that they have a problem with gluttony, which, by the way, is the number one mentioned sin in the Bible. Rather than making the resolutions to lose 25 pounds, a better resolution may be to pray before every meal and ask God for the strength, to eat moderately, and to see your eating as a way of giving God thanks. And so the root is your relationship with the Lord and gluttony. The branches are, I'm going to I'm going to give up snacks. Okay?

Now, a great exercise to go through prior to making resolutions is to take the time to assess your weaknesses and your strengths. Many times we learn about our weaknesses by reviewing our confession record or reflecting on the spiritual direction that we have received in the prior year. What are the areas that you are really struggling with? What vices seem to keep you captive and hinder you from, from living that life in Christ that you really, really desire. There are many good resources that you can find in book form or on the web

to really help combat vice with the corresponding virtue, which is a really good exercise to do to get to know what kind of resolutions should you make. Now, another thing that's good to keep in mind is that grace builds upon nature. This was something that St. Thomas made really big. When it comes to making New Year's resolutions, we all have a tendency to focus on nature, that is, the physical hurdles and goals before us. But keep in mind that our physical lives are not separate from our spiritual lives. In fact, I would go so far as to say, stop separating the two.

You are one person. In fact, you are one person, spirit and body. now to attempt to do something about our physical reality without addressing the spiritual dimension is only addressing half the equation and it's going to leave you feeling weak. In the end, we must admit that life can be a struggle and that the person we want to be

does not come without a price. And that desire to change and become more like Christ was put in your heart by God. God is the one who, put this desire to change in your heart. And I truly believe, my friend, that the desire to make a New Year's resolution is in truth, the desire to become more like Christ. I really believe that. Christ is wooing us. Theologians call this prevenient grace. God is wooing us. He's drawing us to be conformed to his image. And the decision that we make on January 1st or during the month of January,

can become a prayer to God that comes from the depths of our heart in response to his desire to change you. Now, without grace, which is the life of the Trinity, change is even more difficult. And that's why I have always contended that popular television shows and self-help shows have a real tough nut to crack because they're giving you ideas on how to change, but there is no fuel in the engine. There's no power like God's grace to change us. So you can start by turning your heart and mind to God to determine what changes are necessary. And I think that you're going to make a lot of progress if you do it. Going to take a break when I come back, I'm going to give you eight points that will guide you into making a better New Year's resolution that I think

will be satisfying and really will result in substantial change. you're listening to the Jeff Kaven show. Hey guys, this is Shana from Ascension. I don't know if you've heard, but with the Sension's new digital delivery platform, you can start a study with anyone anywhere. Here's how to do it. First, go to ascensionpress.com and create a free online account. Once you're there, preview any of our study programs for free,

and choose the one you'd like to leave. Then, find at least three friends, family members, or coworkers who want to do the study with you. Once you have your group, make sure everyone registers to receive their study materials. Then, you're ready to go. Meet with your group in person, online, or both. It's that simple. Welcome back to the show. Glad you came back. And if you're back, you're hungry. You want to know what are eight things that will help me in making my New Year's resolutions. As I was preparing for this show, I was thinking to myself, what are some of the resolutions that I have made in the past? And at the end of the show, by the way, I'm going to reveal to you my New Year's resolution this year,

which is one that I'm actually sharing with my wife and we're doing together. And so we're going to, our New Year's resolution is a joint effort this year. So I think back about some of the things that I have made New Year's resolutions about, you know, certainly exercising and eating. and that type of thing. But those are really things that we should be doing all, all the time. I typically have used the new year as an opportunity to start a new practice, a new habit, if you will, a new virtue in my life. Have I always been successful?

Of course. Not. There's been times where, yeah, I've been successful at some things and others. I just kind of got, the resolution kind of got lost in the fray. So let's get to it, shall we? eight questions I could ask you, okay? Eight questions I'm going to ask you that can act as a guide in making good New Year's resolutions. Ask yourself the following questions.

Number one, will this resolution draw me toward Christ or away from him? That's a good question. Will this resolution draw me toward Christ or away from him? You know, sometimes our goals become very self-centered. And they tend to draw us away from Christ and take time away from our own. our relationship with the Lord. We could be spending that time reading scriptures, studying the catechism, time in prayer, and doing Lexio de Vina, doing the things that we say that we don't have the time for.

Keep a holy card or a crucifix with you when you consider a New Year's resolution. That you want to be drawn towards Jesus in this New Year's resolution. Is this going to, is this New Year's resolution going to put an inordinate amount of energy towards yourself and thinking about yourself or Christ and His kingdom. Just something to think about when you make a New Year's resolution. Number two, will this resolution enhance my vocation in life? For those of you that are new to the show and you're not quite sure what that word vocation means. When we say vocation, we're talking about your calling in life. We know that every believer has a calling to evangelization, has a calling to disciples,

ship. That's for all of us. But I don't have a vocation to be a mother. I don't have a vocation to be a wife. I have a vocation to be a father and a husband. And the resolutions that I make must enhance my vocation in life. In other words, will it help me as a parent, a spouse, a single person, a priest, or religious? If that resolution is going to take you away from your vocation, that's a red flag right there that this may not be a good resolution. and certainly might not be of God. So starting with your vocation is a great place to determine future action.

For example, if you're a father as I am, three girls, some of my decisions are already made. Becoming a father and a better father is something that I know God wants me to do, even more than fitting into that pair of pants in the closet this year. I'm called to be a better husband. husband, a better father, a holier man of God. Number three, does this resolution have eternal

impact on my life and those around me? It's a good question to ask. If you're going to give yourself to change this year, does that change have an impact on eternal life? The decisions that we make today have eternal impact, so it becomes really, really important to budget your time and your resources accordingly. Is your resolution to learn five language this year, five new languages, and you ask you, and I'm being facetious, but is it to learn five new languages and you literally realize it's going to take you 10 hours a day to accomplish this? Is that really going to contribute to your vocation? Is it going to really contribute to your eternal life? Good question to ask. Number four, have I prayed about it and asked God to

lead me in my decisions. Very good question that, I'll be honest with you, a lot of Christians don't even ask God about their New Year's resolution. Is this something that I should set my heart on? Is this something that I should really dedicate myself to? You know, James Chapter 4 in verse 15 says that our future decisions should keep in mind the phrase, if it is the Lord's will. I'm going to do this. If it's the Lord's will, I'm going to do that. And we must always qualify our plans with this phrase, as sometimes it may be the will of the Lord for us to accomplish a certain thing, but we may be off when it comes to the timing. And so ask the Lord, is this what you are leading me into? Lord, give me a peace in my heart. So those are the first four. Number five, will this

resolution take time and resources away from those around me who really depend upon me. So this is the time factor. Will this thing that I am trying to do, will it impact those around me as far as time and resources? I mean, if I come to my wife and I say, honey, I've made this incredible New Year's resolution this year, and I think you're really going to like it. And she says, well, what is it? And I say, I'm going vegan. You're what? You heard me, sweetie. I am going vegan this year. Now, that's noble and that's good, and certainly the animals love you. But your wife might not be prepared to completely refigure the family to your your new vegan lifestyle. You know, you might want to try this on your own for a little bit and network and when you're out with people and slowly move into it.

But you have to ask yourself, well, this resolution of me becoming a vegan this year, take time and resources away from those around me and really compromise their schedule and put a yoke on everyone around me, including the kids, it can be selfish at times. We only have so many hours in a day and so many dollars in the bank. So it really becomes very important to ask ourselves if the main things in our lives are being taken care of or neglected. And if you have a family, it's a good idea to consult your spouse. If you are about to allocate funds or time for your special project.

So get together with your spouse. Talk to your roommates. Is this really going to have an impact that is going to be negative in other people's lives. Number six, am I prepared to accompany my resolution with prayer and fortitude? Now, earlier, I asked you about praying and, you know, asking the Lord about your decision. And now what I'm saying is, is, are you prepared to accompany this resolution with prayer and fortitude? The prophet Zechariah once said, he said, not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Simply making the resolution will not bring about the desired

results. Rather, fortitude and a constant reliance upon the spirit of God is what brings about the victory in our lives. Ask yourself if you are prepared to soak this change in your life with daily prayer. Number seven, am I prepared to sacrifice and offer up that which is uncomfortable in order to attain my resolution? In other words, are you willing to sacrifice and change in order to make this resolution a reality? Whether it be in sports or in the spiritual life, finances, or weight control, becoming good at something does not come without practice and sacrifice. As location, location, location is the key. to real estate? So practice, practice, practice is the key to the virtuous life. Change comes by

habitually practicing the good. Number eight, this is the final one. Get ready. Here we are. Number eight, does this resolution further your walk with Christ and glorify the Lord or does vanity compel you? I'm going to read that again because that's a, that's kind of a long question. Does this resolution further your walk with Christ and glorify the Lord, or does vanity compel you? Good question. It's a wonderful thing, wonderful thing to be physically fit. It's a great thing to be healthy, but is being fit, is the purpose of being fit to be noticed? Or is it to serve God? No, I think there's always going to be a degree of to be noticed where people, we care about

what we look like, we care what people think about us. For someone to say, well, that should not bother you at all, that's kind of foolishness because we're hardwired that way. But vanity can get out of control where we're really focused on ourselves and we become the center of our life. If that is the case for you, then your heart's in the wrong place. become fit so that you can be a more effective witness for Christ. You can be a more fruitful husband or wife.

Remember, all those times you said, I'm too tired to do, fill in the blank. If you got fit, maybe you wouldn't use that phrase anymore. I'm just too tired to do fill in the blank. So those are eight questions that you can ask yourself in making a really good New Year's resolution. And I really believe that they will help you. Now, let me share with you.

I told you at the beginning of this session of the show that I was going to share with you what my wife and I have decided that we're going to do this year, and it comes down to this. By the way, I've got to tell you this before I tell you what my wife's and my resolution is. For the last year, I have been praying that God would renew in my heart a fresh, new, lively, dynamic love for His Word.

You say, oh, but you teach the Bible. Ah, yes, I do. I do teach the Bible. Oh, but you study the Bible, Jeff, don't you? Yes, I do. But I was feeling like I needed to have a fresh, dynamic, life-affirming zeal for his word for me personally. Not that I was out in the desert or anything. There are times where I have been.

I'm not saying that that's something that is beyond me. But I was praying for that. And I got to tell you, December 26th, the day after Christmas, when I woke up and I went downstairs, that morning something happened in my heart. It was like a switch went off, and I had this amazing draw to the Word of God. And I opened up my New Testament. I began to read the book of Ephesians. And I had this joy and I had this renewed exuberance. And I said to my wife, I said, I feel today like I did when I first got interested in the Bible 42 years ago. Yes, that's right, 42 years ago.

And I can't explain it other than I have been asking for this. So, I would encourage you if there's areas in your life this year where you're saying, Lord, I really need this in my spiritual life. Keep asking. Keep praying. I'm convinced that God will give it to you and that he will open that door for you. So here's my wife and I. We were praying.

We meet every morning and we talk for an hour. I make tea for my wife every morning. And we've been reading the Bible and we talk to each other about the Bible, the Bible verses that we're reading. We go through books of the Bible. And we decided that this year, 2018, that we, we're going to read, according to the Great Adventure Methodology, which is one of

the past podcasts, how to read the Bible. We're going to read through the Bible using the Great Adventure methodology, and that's 14 narrative books where you go from Genesis to Exodus and Numbers, Joshua, and judges in 1st,

Samuel, 2nd, Samuel, 1st, 2nd kings, Ezra, Nehemiah, 1st, Maccabees, Luke, and Axe. And we're going to read that. But when the other 59 supplemental books fit into one of those 14 books, we're going to pause and we're going to read that on our own. And so we're going to read the Bible together in the morning and then take the time when we have to read the supplemental books to read it on our own and then come back

together and read the 14 narrative books. So that's our New Year's resolution is to go through the Bible together as a couple. Now my prayer for you, my friend, in conclusion is this. My prayer for you this year is that your New Year's resolution will not be simply wishful thinking, but will be Christ-centered desires, followed by action and the assistance of the Holy Spirit. If you know somebody else that needs to hear this show, please forward it to them, and everything will be in the show notes for you. All eight of these points will be in the show notes, so I certainly hope you weren't trying to write it down when you were driving or pulled over. We're always going to give you the important points of every show in the show notes. Let me conclude with prayer for you and as we go

forward this year. Join me. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Lord Jesus, we love you and we glory in you and we give you praise. Lord, we delight in your presence. We delight in your relationship with us. And Lord, as we move throughout this next year, help us that if we are to make a resolution that it would have good guidelines that would draw us towards you and would enhance our vocation and impact our eternal life. Help us, Lord, to remember to pray about all the decisions that we make and that we would always count the cost in terms of time and resources and the impact on others. And that we would be prepared to accompany our resolution with prayer and fortitude, and that we would be prepared to sacrifice, to attain the things that you're

putting in our heart. And we pray, Lord, that our resolutions would not be filled with vanity, but that they would glorify you. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. God bless you. Have a great year. Thank you.