catapult magazine

Jesus said...

by Sarah Lynn Phillips

New Year’s resolutions: I think it’s a good thing to reach higher, to stretch, to set some goals. Perhaps there’s a way to view them that sees beyond the earthbound, beyond the here and now. Here are ten things I hope to keep in front of me in 2014:

1. Eat healthy food.  Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger…” (John 6:35).
2. Drink more water.  Jesus said, “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst” (John 4:14).
3. Balance work and rest.  Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
4. Manage stress.  Jesus said, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on…nor have an anxious heart…. Your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God” (Luke 12:22, 29-31).
5. Pursue healthy relationships.  Jesus said, “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise” (Luke 6:31).
6. Practice generosity.  Jesus said, “Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away” (Matthew 5:42).
7. Consider a new direction.  Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).
8. Pursue a paradigm shift.  Jesus said, “Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it…. He who is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 16:25; 23:11).
9. Downsize.  Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth not rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19, 20).
10. Be kinder from the inside out.  Jesus said, “Love one another; as I have loved you…. Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you…. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things…”  (John 13:34; Matthew 5:44; 12:35).