Firm Your Resolve
Tim Thornborough | 6 Jan 2011
Here are five ideas to make your New Year's Resolutions more 'Biblely' and less 'self-helpy'.
1. Choose them wisely: Instead of aiming for healthier, happier or lighter, why not choose one aspect of the character of our Lord Jesus to aim to grow into, and think through how that will actually happen (eg
compassionate, humble, hospitable)
2. Pick a theme: Make a long list of things you are frustrated with, and try to find a single word that sums them up. Make this your
theme word for the year. It might be
Grace, or
Hope, or
Loved or
Forgiven - but it should make a conscious connection with your relationship with Christ to be the motivation for the way you want to change, rather than just "improving yourself".
3. Turn them into questions: Sometimes we feel afraid to ask simple, fundamental questions. So instead of a practical goal, choose a question to follow:
What does it mean for me to follow Jesus in particular? What is the most essential thing in the Christian life? What makes me tick spiritually? You may not find an answer to your question, but pursuing it as you read God's Word and talk to others will be an enriching and deepening experience.
4. Make them communal: God has called us into community, to bear one another's burdens, so don't make resolutions private. Share them with
friends, your
bible study group, and even
others who may not be Christian. Ask them to encourage and help you with them, and seek progress reports from you.
5. Make your year an experiment: The Bible urges us to "taste and see that the Lord is good" - to prove by our experience that it is a wonderful thing to have the Living God as your God. So why not pick an area of Christian life to be your experimental proving ground for the year: you might choose to make it the year of
Living as a sacrificial Christ-like husband, or The year of
being a person of integrity, or The year of
accepting all things as good gifts from our Father. Whatever you choose - make it part of the way you read the Bible, and something you pray for regularly.
