Part 2
In our study last week, we stated some important points and asked important questions concerning Christians and New Year resolutions.
The first point that was stated was; “There is nothing in the Bible that prohibits a Christian from making New Year resolutions, personal goals and plans.”
What is a New Year resolution? “Making New Year resolutions is the resolve or a personal desire to continue good practices, change an undesired trait or behavior, accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise improve their behavior at the beginning of a calendar year.”
We also saw the importance and relation of understanding the definition of these two aspects of a resolution. “Goal – The purpose toward which an endeavor is directed; an objective, ambition, aspiration.” “Plan – A scheme, program, or method worked out beforehand for the accomplishment of an objective or goal.”
Proverbs 16:3
Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and your plans will succeed.
The three important questions we asked last week were:
- “What is the intention or purpose of making New Year resolutions especially for a person who has received Jesus in their life as Savior and submitted their life to Him?”
- “Does making New Year resolutions conflict what the Bible teaches us concerning the work of the Holy Spirit in a Christian’s life transforming us into the image of Christ?”
- “Do the New Year resolutions we made for ourselves line up with God’s will for our lives as His children?”
The Bible teaches us how we are to continue to experience our new life in Christ, however the Bible also gives many possible reasons why a Christian is not experiencing all that a new life in Christ should be. One possible reason could be that we are not doing and living as the apostle Paul states in the following verses.
Ephesians 4:21-24, 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Romans 6:5-14, 5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
Romans 12:1-2, 12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Galatians 2:20, My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Romans 13:14, Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
“CLOTHE YOURSELVES WITH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST”. We must be so united and identified with Christ that we imitate his example as our pattern for living. This means that we adopt his values and principles, obey his commands and become like him. This calls for a complete rejection of immoral behavior and the acts of the sinful nature. Christians should demonstrate outwardly the spiritual changes that have taken place inwardly.” – Fire Bible Study notes
When God is the center of our lives, we will be sure that His will is the motivation and the center of our resolutions, goals and plans. If God is not the center of our lives because we have not learned to submit to Him and intentionally live our lives to glorify Him, God will not be mentioned or even considered in our New Year resolutions or personal goals and plans we make.
Sometimes we want God to bless our resolutions, personal goals and plans for our lives that are not His. The following verses is what the Bible has to say about that and are also good examples of what happens to someone who make plans that exclude God’s will.
James 4:2-3, You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Isaiah 30:1, “What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,” says the Lord. “You make plans that are contrary to mine. You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins.
James 4:13-17 NLT, 13 Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” 14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. 15 What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” 16 Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil. 17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
These next verses teach us what God promises when He is included in our personal goals and plans, we make.
1 John 5:14-15, 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him.
The following is an excerpt from the website, GotQuestions.org that will help a Christian to focus their New Year resolutions to honor God in their lives as their life reflects Christ in their character and everything they do.
Pastor John
What sort of New Year’s resolution should a Christian make?
Many Christians make New Year’s resolutions to pray more, to read the Bible every day, and to attend church more regularly. These are fantastic goals. However, these New Year’s resolutions fail just as often as the non-spiritual resolutions, because there is no power in a New Year’s resolution. Resolving to start or stop doing a certain activity has no value unless you have the proper motivation for stopping or starting that activity. For example, why do you want to read the Bible every day? Is it to honor God and grow spiritually, or is it because you have just heard that it is a good thing to do? Why do you want to lose weight? Is it to honor God with your body, or is it for vanity, to honor yourself?
So, what sort of New Year’s resolution should a Christian make? Here are some suggestions:
(1) pray to the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) regarding what resolutions,
if any, He would have you make;
(2) pray for wisdom as to how to fulfill the goals God gives you;
(3) rely on God’s strength to help you;
(4) find an accountability partner who will help you and encourage you;
(5) don’t become discouraged with occasional failures; instead, allow them to motivate you further;
(6) don’t become proud or vain, but give God the glory.
Psalms 37:3-6
3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
