The Ultimate Resolution
Part Five
I remember buying and setting up our first high-resolution television – one of the, new at the time, 4k flat-screen variety! Once setup, I tuned into a baseball game in progress – if you know me, you can guess it was an Angels game (no comments!) – and I immediately noticed a marked difference. Where as on our older, broken TV I could watch a game just fine, the depth and detail of the image I was now viewing was lightyears better. For eample, the grass field on the old TV was green and you could surely tell it was grass, but on the new 4k flat-screen you could actually see the blades of grass! The increased resolution from the old TV to the new 4k TV, due to a higher pixel count – 720 x 480 vs. 3840 x 2160 pixels per inch – provided a clearer, deeper, richer, and more detailed view of the game I was watching. Short of being at the game and watching in person, the higher resolution TV gave more of the feeling of being there, of experiencing it in person, than the older TV had.
Whether we’re talking about high-resolution TVs, computer monitors, or digital images, resolution is defined as the level of detail contained in the image we are viewing. More specifically, it refers to the number of pixels – the smallest unit of a digital image displayed on a computer monitor or captured by a camera’s image sensor – that exist within that image. Put simply, a pixel is a minute dot – circle or square – that represents a specific color and brightness value which, collectively, form the image. A higher the pixel count means a higher and richer resolution, leading to a more detailed and defined image for you to view.
res·o·lu·tion
/rezəˈlo͞oSH(ə)n/
noun
1. a solution, accommodation, or settling of a problem, controversy, etc.
2. a formal expression of opinion or intention made, usually after voting, by a formal organization, a legislature, a club, or other group the resulting state
3. the resulting state
4. Medicine/Medical. the reduction or disappearance of a swelling or inflammation (a problem) without suppuration (infection/pus)
5. the act of resolving or determining upon an action, course of action, method, procedure, etc., a resolve; a decision or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something
6. the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose
7. the degree of sharpness of a computer monitor, photograph, or digital image
As I think back on that upgraded experience, I came to realize that it poignantly displays the truth that wraps up our Ultimate Resolution study. All of our previous “definitions” dealt with the inward change that the Lord is trying to bring about in our lives, which makes sense. His ultimate desire is for us to be governed by Him which requires first that our inward man be transformed – our thinking, desires, motivations, and purpose for life must all be brought into accordance with and conformed to His Word and His will. We can agree that this, our lives being governed by Him, will bring Him the most glory and will be for our greatest good. But the thought this brings to my mind, in light of this, is “So, I get the need to be fully governed by Him and that, as His governance over my life increases daily, it brings Him glory and my life takes on greater meaning. But is that all it’s for, or is there another purpose in my day to day life for the work He is doing? Why, apart from my salvation and my good, is He working in me?” I find that the answer to this question is important because it establishes an ultimate purpose for our lives, and this is where our last definition of resolution comes in.
Stated simply, God didn’t send His Son into the world for your salvation alone – yes, that is surely an important reason but, once your saved, there is another reason that takes on paramount importance. Paul spoke of this when he wrote,
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2Cor. 5:17-21; emphasis added)
Rightly, the first thing Paul addressed is our salvation – through Christ God reconciled us to Himself – but he doesn’t stop there, does he? Put plainly, it seems Paul is trying to communicate to us that now, having saved us, God has given us the ministry of reconciling others to Him by sharing His message of reconciliation – the Gospel – as His ambassadors. The hyper-literalist may try to say Paul was speaking only of himself and the other apostles here and, hyper-literally, they may be right. But, I would counter that in light of the fact that the whole of New Testament teaching makes it clear that God saves us and then calls us to be His tools, His mouthpieces, to share His gospel with others that He, through His Holy Spirit, might save them, we are also included in what Paul’s thinking was as he penned these words.
At t his point, you might be wondering what this has to do with higher resolution TVs, monitors, and photographs. Stick with me and we’ll see if we can have a mind meld here (a reference for you Trekkie fans!). All the inward work of being governed by God we’ve addressed in our previous series posts can be summed in two words – salvation, which for most is self-explanatory, and sanctification. Sanctification, defined as “to be set apart for special use or purpose,” manifests itself in two parts in the believers life. When you come to salvation in Christ, you are sanctified in Him, set apart for His use and purposes, which is the first part, many times referred to as positional sanctification – we are set apart, made separate, from the world. The second part, referred to as progressive or experiential sanctification, is the ongoing work of God, through His Holy Spirit, purifying us of our daily sins, growing us in our knowledge of Him and in wisdom, and conforming us more and more into the image of Christ, leading to be more governed by God in our lives. This is where our discussion of resolution comes in… the more we are governed by God, the greater our “resolution” in displaying Christ will be through our lives. When we are first saved, people can catch a view of Christ through the change that comes as a result of being saved and our limited knowedge of God. As we walk with Him daily, grow in knowledge and holiness, being more conformed to His image, the greater our “Christ-like resolution” will be in displaying and reflecting Christ at increasing levels to others – the image of Christ in us, as others encounter us and evaluate our lives, will be sharper, clearer, deeper, richer, and more detailed. This leads to increased witness of Christ in our lives which helps us fulfill His calling for all believers – to be His “witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8b) and “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them min2 nthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matt. 28:19-20a)
Until next time… make your aim to be increasingly governed by God, knowing this will lead to a higher “Christ-like resolution” that will allow others to see a deeper, richer, clearer, view of Christ through our lives and, prayerfully, drawing them to Him!
Abiding in Christ 1:1
This past Sunday, the church we attend – Veneration Church – launched a 16-month journey on what it means to abide in Christ, and to abide in Him in such a way that we can experience the fullness of joy in the here and now. I was blessed when they asked me to be a part of producing the journals for the series. As I take this journey with the church, I will be posting a weekly blog off of one of the verses we will be focusing on during that week, hence the number in the title (Month 1 : Week 1). Okay, let’s dive in…
Full Surrender: Hebrews 12:1-3
Each of us are running a race on a unique “course” set for us, individually, by the Lord Himself. What can we learn from Hebrews 12 and other Bible passages that would lend us insight into how we can run our race victoriously all the way through the finish line tape? How can we run our race victoriously...
Look To The REAL Force
Have you ever felt like the weight of the world is crushing in around you and you’re about to be overwhelmed, the the armies of fear, doubt, concern, and dismay are encamped around you? Maybe it was financial concerns or relationship issues or health...
The Ultimate Resolution – Part Four
Resolve is a word people tend to not use, let alone display, much anymore. Those who resolve to do something are usually devoted to a creed or belief, principle, or course of action - or in the case of some, following the teaching of a person - and display…
The Ultimate Resolution – Part Three
“I didn’t know how sick I was until I got well.” This is often said, in retrospect, by people who have struggled with their health-wise upon their recovery. Many times, the focus on fighting against and simply coping with the symptoms of their illness…
The Ultimate Resolution – Part Two
One of my favorite TV shows to watch in the mid-to-late 80’s was MacGyver. His ability to confront sticky situations and problems with creative solutions was amazing, even if he was a made for TV character. Each show followed basically the same pattern…
The Ultimate Resolution – Part One
It’s that time of the year where, having made our new years resolutions, we are able to take stock as to whether we are still on track with keeping them and, frankly, whether our resolutions had the greatest value in our lives for the upcoming year and beyond...
Believer or Disciple?
I remember a time when my son was much younger and he came to me asking if he could sign up to play little league baseball. As one who grew up playing the game it made me happy to hear those words. But in the next instant, knowing my son as only a dad could, I said to him...
Keep Running, Fulfill Your Calling, Press On!
There are days in our lives, and in history, that will ever be identified by what occurred on them. Some are on a national or global scale – July 4, 1776… December 7, 1941… September 11, 2001… dates that, when mentioned, remind us of some important event...
Digging Ditches
Ever felt like you are in the middle of a never-ending march through the desert? No matter what you do, things seem so difficult and you just can’t seem to catch a glimpse of God? Maybe it’s being unfulfilled at work, or problems in marriage, or issues with your kids, or feeling so alone and misunderstood...
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