Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
Happy New Year! I don’t know about you but I have a love/hate relationship with New Year’s resolutions. Some years I make a long list of them and other years, well, I choose not to make even one. Why? Because I don’t want to fail. I’m tired of dreaming up goals and then failing at them or forgetting them.
I am reminded as we head into a new, fresh, and totally unknown 2019, we are new creations. In Christ, we are new creatures. The old has gone, the new has come. No matter the past failures or times we’ve fallen and have had to pick ourselves up again, this is a new year. This is a new day. And we can try again. Whether it’s to get healthy, to be more present with our family, to start a business, to pursue a dream. What are you hoping to achieve in 2019?
Let me ask you this, in all of your goal-setting, have you dreamed up a spiritual goal? Where do you desire to be in your walk with Christ at the end of 2019? I’m not talking about the generic answers of “read my Bible more” and “pray more.” Can you get specific and actionable on a spiritual resolution? Perhaps these examples will spur ideas for you: Pray daily for my family. Read a Proverb with my son each morning at breakfast. Go on a prayer walk on Saturday mornings. Pick a spiritual practice to experiment with each month. Memorize a verse each week with my daughter.
If you’ve thought of a spiritual resolution for your new year, take a moment and pray a prayer of surrender, asking Jesus to help you complete your goal and, along the way, to enable you to grow in his way and his heart. Let him remind you that, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) Invite him into your struggles and striving this coming year; even if you fail tomorrow or the next day, he is there to pick you up and help you try again.
By Ellen Rosenberger
