A New Year's Resolution That Won't Leave You Empty

The beginning of a new year can definitely be great motivation to start some new habits and patterns in your life, but do you often feel that the resolutions that you set for yourself don’t come to fruition? Maybe you started out last year with a goal to stay healthy and move more. This is a great goal to have, but did you follow through with your goal or did you end up lacking motivation and giving up? I encourage you to look at resolutions or goals for the New Year in a differing perspective. Rather than trying to set resolutions or goals for yourself to accomplish in the next year, why not make a goal to glorify God in everything that you do? This may sound easy, but believe me it is hard. The Bible states in Colossians 3:17:

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Take a minute and let this sink in. Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus… EVERYTHING…EVERYTHING?!? This means I am to take care of my children in the name of Jesus, love my neighbors in the name of Jesus, wash and fold the laundry in the name of Jesus, and take care of myself in the name of Jesus and give thanks to God. I don’t know about you, but I often struggle with this. And sometimes I am not doing it to bring glory to God; I am doing it with a bitter or selfish heart. Often when we make resolution or goals for the year, they are not formed to bring God glory, they are formed to bring self-gratification. I want to challenge you to form your “resolutions” or goals around bringing God glory.

According to CNN Health, the number one New Year’s resolution is to lose weight. I want to encourage each one of my readers who may want to lose weight in the New Year to do it in a way that brings God glory. Rather than focus on losing weight, why don’t you make your goal to care for your body in a way that glorifies God? For some this could mean eating better, losing weight, maintaining weight, moving more, or even gaining weight. Each person was created uniquely and each person requires different mean by which to take care of their bodies in a way that glorifies God. Instead of seeing it as working out to get fit, why don’t you analyze your lifestyle and see what needs to change so that you can live out the mission that God has called you to.

“For while bodily training is of some value,

godliness is of value in every way

as it holds promise for the present life

and also for the life to come.”

1Timothy 4:8

If we take the time to invest in our relationship with God and decide that in this New Year we will strive to bring God glory in all that we do, this should reflect in the way that we live our lives. Let’s train for godliness instead of for vanity. Will you join me in this challenge for 2019?