"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:19
There's just something special about anything new...that new
car smell, the softness of a newborn's skin, the first signs of Spring. New means clean and fresh and brings with it
the excitement of possibilities. That's why one of my favorite things about God is that He is a god of new
beginnings. In the beginning, He created
the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) and ever since He's been giving those
who turn to Him a new
life. Ezekiel 36:26 says, "And I
will give you a new heart and
a new spirit I will put within
you." 2 Corinthians 5:17 promises
that if we are in Christ, we are a new
creature and Lamentations 3:22-23 tells that His mercies are new each morning. Isn't that exciting!
With the new year approaching, I've been thinking about new
beginnings and trying to decide if I want to commit to a resolution. Now, you and I both know there's nothing
magical about the start of a new year any more than the start of a new day or
week, but there's nothing wrong with starting off 2015 with a Christ-centered
goal. In fact, I think it's wise for us
to look back at how we've grown more like Christ over the past year and
pinpoint areas that could use a little improvement. After all, we receive grades in school and evaluations
at work so why shouldn't we take the most important area of our life just as
seriously?
Pray About it!
We should take the time to sit with God and ask Him what He
would like for us to do or change. Maybe
it's to set aside a daily quiet time to read our Bible and pray? Maybe it's to work on a specific issue like a
bad attitude or quick tongue? To be more
disciplined with our thoughts? To
forgive? Maybe we could study and work
on the fruits of the spirit one by one?
Commit to it!
Whatever it is, we need to write it down and put it where we can see
it each morning. We can study to see what God's Word says about it and consider
getting a Bible study on the topic. Let's set
goals and celebrate reaching them. Maybe even ask
someone to be our accountability partner?
See it through!
Let's refuse to give up and instead strive for the prize (Philippians 3:13-14)! Replacing old habits with new ones will take time but if we pray for guidance throughout the
day instead of relying on our own willpower, no habit will be too hard to break. Unlike resolutions made on our own, we have
the assurance that when we seek to do God's will for our lives, He will help
us. "I
can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13
Let's do this! I want
to look back at 2015 and know I'm more like Jesus!
