Make Spiritual Resolutions

The New Year will soon be upon us, and with it a list of “New Year’s resolutions.” For many of us that list will include items like “lose ten pounds” or “watch less TV”. Most New Year’s resolutions that I have made are items that should have and could have been addressed at an earlier time. I did not have to wait until the first of the year. But the New Year does speak of new beginnings, and serves as a convenient time for making some life changes. I have read where New Year’s Resolutions last for all of about three or four days in most cases. But if you can hold on to the resolution for six weeks – 40 days – most experts agree that you will have developed a habit.

I encourage you to make spiritual resolutions. Then give these resolutions six weeks of practice.

I think of Jonathan Edwards who wrote in his diary, “Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory and to my own good, profit, and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now or never so many myriads of ages hence.”

Or Matthew Henry, who wrote, “I do in the beginning of this New Year solemnly make a fresh surrender of myself, my whole self, body, soul, and spirit, to God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, my Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier, covenanting and promising, not in any strength of my own, for I am very weak, but in the strength of the grace of Jesus Christ, that I will endeavor this year to stand complete in the Will of God.”

Are you puzzled about spiritual resolutions? Let me suggest a few.
• Resolve to read a Psalm or two daily (one if lengthy, two if short). This portion of the Bible will warm your spirit and bring you into God’s Presence. You will learn from the Psalms of God’s greatness and man’s frailty. You will learn to trust God in the disappointing experiences of life and praise Him for the pleasant experiences.
• Pray daily for someone else. Especially for someone you do not particularly like or with whom you had a dispute. Pray that God will bless and work in that person’s life.
• Purchase a good devotional Bible and read from it daily. Don’t know which one to buy or use? Try Seasons of Reflection, 365 daily readings from the Bible, published by International Bible Society (Colorado Springs, CO). If you already have a Bible reading plan, stick with it.

My prayer for you and everyone I know is that the coming year will be a year when you will draw close to the heart of God, experience God’s grace and peace in abundance, and mature in your spiritual life.

For that to happen,

Make spiritual resolutions.