[ Note: This post appeared in the Lawrence Journal-World. I was asked to write it for the Faith Forum section. ]
Do You Make Spiritual New Year’s Resolutions?
Yes and no.
Yes to “spiritual” resolutions.
A resolution is “a firm decision to do something.” So, resolutions can be good or bad. Every day, people make firm decisions to do something selfish, illegal or stupid. Usually, though, resolutions are good.
But people often aim too low when they make resolutions. A poll I read showed 95% of those who intended to make new year’s resolutions were not making “spiritual” resolutions. Their resolutions were physical: lose weight, stop smoking, get more sleep, etc. These are good, but spiritual resolutions are better!
“Bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come,” the Bible tells us. It’s a huge mistake to focus only on the stuff of earth and ignore the things that last forever. There is nothing more important than knowing God. Nothing more valuable than “being rich toward God” (read Luke 12:16-23).
So, make spiritual resolutions.
No to “New Year’s” resolutions.
The problem with new year’s resolutions is that years don’t come around often enough. The kind of life Jesus asks His followers to live requires daily resolution. He said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Me.”
God calls us to a life that is more like a “walk” than a sprint. One step at a time. Moment by moment choosing God’s way rather than our own. So make daily resolutions.
Consider making this spiritual, daily resolution:
- Start by reading the Bible and asking God to show you what He wants you to know and believe.
- Then ask Him how He wants you to use your time on planet Earth.
- Then make a firm decision to do it.
