Last year is gone and a new year is here. With the arrival of the new year our thoughts will often shift to reflection and review of the past year and how we could improve and do things differently going forward. Some folks make resolutions or plans for improvement and there are probably more diets started in January and promises to begin exercising than there are at any other time of the year. There’s just something about a new calendar year that makes us think about a clean slate and a fresh start and a desire to begin again in a better way and this is not a bad thing by any means.
But from a Christian perspective there are a couple of things that we need to keep in mind before we make any improvement plans or start any journey towards a goal and the first and most important of those is this: we are not our own. We belong to Jesus and therefore anything that we set our minds to needs to be done in a way that brings glory to Him and His name.
We first need to prayerfully examine our motives (do we want to diet and exercise to be more healthy or just because our vanity tells us that we should look better in that pair of jeans?) and once we have done that we can then include the Lord in every step of our planning and preparation with the knowledge that the outcome and the victory already belongs to Him.
We can praise Him and thank Him for His provision and draw strength from His presence and from His counsel. We are not alone and we best show that when we work towards a goal hand in hand with Him, filled by His Spirit. Difficulties and challenges can and will be overcome if God is with us and our relationship to Him will be strengthened as we work with Him towards our goal.
The most joyful aspect of all of this is that our improvement and the power to reach our goals does not rest with us and is not dependent on our strength. God provides based on our surrender to Him and our obedience to His Word. We don’t have to wonder about what will happen or worry about the outcome. If God is in it, it will be done!
And furthermore, we never have to wait for a new year to come around to decide to do things God’s way or to commit our ways and thoughts to Him. He provides renewal and regeneration to all who come to Him and it is available 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.
I hope, like me, that you are excited about the new year and the new opportunities and challenges that it will bring. I also hope that you are walking into the near year hand in hand with Jesus and secure in the knowledge that you belong to Him. Because once you are in that position there is no power in the world that can stand against you and you will be amazed to see what God can do in your life.