"God's Resolutions for Your New Year"
New Year's Sunday, 2005
Selected Scriptures
"Will your resolutions focus on responsibilities or possibilities?
1. All new beginnings start with God.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. And the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface. Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
—Genesis 1:1-3 (NLT)
"The darkness of our new year is light to God."
"I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing."
—John 15:5 (NLT)
"God is the new beginning maker."
2. Evaluation is an important part of fresh starts.
This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Consider how things are going for you! You have planted much but harvested little. You have food to eat, but not enough to fill you up. You have wine to drink, but not enough to satisfy your thirst. You have clothing to wear, but not enough to keep you warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!" This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Consider how things are going for you!"
—Haggai 1:5-7 (NLT)
"If you do what you've always done, you'll have what you've always had."
3. Plan with God's wisdom and God's direction.
The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage.
—Proverbs 21:5 (NAS)
Resolution: "...a course of action decided upon; a fixed purpose."
"Without a plan, a resolution is just a dream."
There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD.
—Proverbs 21:30
...the plans of the LORD stand firm forever...
—Psalm 33:11
Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.
—Proverbs 19:21
A resolution worth keeping: to know Jesus Christ!
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise ad persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
—1 Corinthians 2:2-5
Question: What if Christians were to celebrate the New Year by letting God make the resolutions? What are God's resolutions for you?
Answer: With regard to your past—God resolves to forgive your sins and blot out your transgressions. God resolves to help you embrace the memory of the past with gratitude and grace. With regard to your future—God resolves to light your path. God resolves to give you direction and diligence. God resolves to give you the courage and the caution you need to move forward with faith.
You can go joyfully in the new year because God resolves to go behind you and ahead of you.
Lifework
I encourage you to consider ten questions this week. Take time to seek God's wisdom and direction. For some things we already know the right thing to do, but for others we need to take some time for diligent evaluation. Use this first week of the new year to set a course that you will not quickly abandon.
- What is the one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?
- What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?
- What is the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?
- In which spiritual discipline do you want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?
- What is the single biggest water of time in your life, and what do you need to do to make a change?
- What is the most helpful way you could strengthen your church?
- For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?
- What area in your life needs simplifying this year?
- Who do you want to encourage this year?
- What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?
Write down your answers. Make a plan for the new year and then plan to attend the Family Communion, Sunday, January 9 and allow one of the elders or staff to pray for you and your plan.