A New Year: Old Goals

“Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as signs for festivals and for days and years. They will be lights in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth.’ And it was so.” (Genesis 1:14-15)

When God created the earth, he also created the expanse of the heavens, the sun, the moon, and the stars. He did this not only grant His creations light, but also to mark the passage of time. He did this not for Himself, for He exists outside of time, but for His living creatures to know the changing of days by their own minds.

The Scripture says that they will be utilized for signs and festivals. While not Biblically commanded, today marks the celebration of the calendar new year. Many folks threw overnight parties, watching the clocks tick down to zero. They also cared about a big ball dropping for some reason. Weird.

Now, I’m not going to go into the sinfulnes of carousing and getting drunk. Nor am I going to make some sweeping statement about the dangers of driving in the wee hours of the morning while drunk. That’s not what this post is about.

It’s common practice to make resolutions for the coming year. Everyone wants to do better. I’m no different. But the tendency is to overextend. How many will strive to cut out junk food? Which agendas will include quitting smoking? What about marriage and children?

All of these are admirable goals. A person might even be able to fulfill them. But for the most part, we fall short of our own expectations. We fail to stop drinking soda. We don’t excise life-threatening habits. We neglect to approach our romantic life with patience and care. We fail and make the same resolutions next year or drop them altogether.

But why not take smaller steps? Exercise more, but maybe not every day. Throw out half a pack of cigarettes and spread them throughout the day. Learn to be more caring, more empathetic to another person’s needs instead of jumping in headfirst in a relationship.

Your path is more malleable than a rigid set of instructions. When you fail, and you will, don’t write off the whole idea. Instead, make a change. Tweak the resolution. Once you’ve consistently met the new goal, then try for the more difficult prize!

In the same way, the struggle against sin has the same ups and downs. Those of us who are born-again are not immune to temptation. We can falter and succumb to pressure the same as anyone else. But thank God we have an Advocate and forgiveness in Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1-2).

We can do nothing on our own, but must produce by abiding in the true vine (John 15:4). Without Christ, we cannot hope to succeed. How gracious and merciful is He that when we believe on Him, our sins are forgiven and we have the hope and promise of eternal life, a place in the Father’s house (John 14:2).

So my resolutions for the new year are pretty basic: read and learn from the Word of God, follow in His steps, and grow in Christ. Everything else is secondary. Important as my other goals might be, they must flow naturally from this greater source. Thanks be to God.

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

Thanks for reading. Have a blessed day and a fruitful new year. Peace be to you.

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