The beginning of a new year allows us a glorious opportunity to make a fresh start. While you may have started out 2022 with a long list of New Year’s resolutions, there’s a good chance that many of them didn’t make it to the end of the year. If that’s the case, take heart; most New Year’s resolutions fail. Today, instead of focusing on resolutions, we’re going to look at some sources of new hope for the new year.
New Year’s Day is a favorite holiday for many people. While it’s easy to assume that this is because most people get the day off work, the truth is that we all love the opportunity to approach life with a clean slate. No, the new year doesn’t wipe away everything that went wrong, but it does give us the opportunity to start over in certain ways.
Billion of people make New Year’s resolutions every year in the days leading up to January 1. While many of those resolutions fail, it’s largely because we’re focusing on the wrong things. There’s certainly nothing wrong with making these resolutions, but as Christians, we understand that the greatest benefits that we can experience aren’t found in weight loss goals, gym memberships, or self-help books. There’s nothing wrong with any of those things, but the new year gives us the opportunity to renew our commitments to Godly principles.
All of us have some things that we wish had gone differently in the previous year. If we’re being honest, each and every one of us would like to go back and make some changes to the things that we did, some of the words that we said, and even some things we didn’t do. While we can’t do anything about what’s behind us, we can renew our commitments to these four Godly principles in order to make the coming year the best of our lives.
Faith
James 2:14-18 (NLT)
What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Goodbye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”-but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t good enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now some may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have any good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
Taking your faith to higher levels should be your goal every single day. What would it look like if your faith in God was stronger tomorrow than it is today? Then, what would it look like if that faith was stronger the following day than it will be tomorrow? In the same way that people who like to exercise regularly strive to develop their muscles, Christians should look for opportunities to develop their faith.
While we know that our faith can grow stronger through reading God’s Word and spending time with other Christians, listening to stories of how God has been faithful to them, we also need to understand that our faith grows when we start putting it into action.
In fact, James says that faith that isn’t accompanied by action is “dead and useless.” The type of faith that God wants His people to have requires action. In the coming year, devote yourself to putting your faith into action.
Obedience
Philippians 2:5-8 (NLT)
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position as a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on the cross.
“What would Jesus do?” Several years ago, the “W.W.J.D” craze swept the modern Church world, as that acronym started appearing on everything. It was most commonly seen on small cloth bracelets that Christians would wear as a reminder to ask themselves how Jesus would handle any situation that they found themselves in.
If you’re asking yourself how Christ would handle any situation, the answer is always obedience. We don’t have to look beyond Christ’s birth and death to find that He always chose obedience. He had a choice to come into the world through Mary on the first Christmas. He had the opportunity to back out of the crucifixion if He had chosen to do so. Yet, in both instances, He chose obedience.
In the coming year, commit yourself to being obedient to God’s plan for your life. The most important aspect of being obedient to God’s plan is knowing God’s plan, and the best way to do that is to spend time every day reading His Word.
Embracing Change
Romans 12:1-2 (NLT)
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice-the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which Is good and pleasing and perfect.
Change is scary. No matter how much we’d like to say it’s not true, most of us are creatures of habit. We like things that fit into our routines, and we prefer knowing about what’s going to happen next. That’s why we go online and read spoilers for movies and TV shows while we’re watching them.
However, Godly change is a necessary part of developing as a disciple. In his letter to the Roman church, Paul outlined what Godly change looks like. Godly change begins with our thoughts. When we allow God’s Word to fill our minds, we shed the worldly thoughts that align with societal norms. Instead, we begin to think like God. That pertains to how we view ourselves, how we view others, and how we think about the daily circumstances in our lives.
Choosing Compassion
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NLT)
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
Christ consistently chose compassion. In John 8:1-11, we read a story about a woman who was caught in the act of adultery. Humiliated and scared, she was dragged to the middle of the town by the religious leaders. If found guilty, she would be stoned to death. Since she was caught in the act, guilt was a certainty.
Before the stoning, they brought her to Jesus, as they were hoping to catch Him saying that they should ignore the Law of Moses. Instead, Christ simply pointed to their own sinful natures, and told them that if they were sinless, they should throw the first stone. When the crowd walked away, He told the woman that He didn’t condemn her, but also admonished her to change her sinful lifestyle.
Christ chose compassion, and we are called to choose the same. Compassion will produce far greater benefits than judgment and condemnation ever will.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help me to embrace the changes that You have for me in the coming year. Help me to show compassion to those struggling while I also put my faith into action. Give me a hunger for Your Word so I can be more obedient to Your plans. In Christ’s name, Amen.