We can all appreciate the start of a New Year. God gives us a fresh start or a new beginning, allowing us to hit the reset button and try again.
Each year, most of us make resolutions: eating healthily, exercising more, becoming better stewards of our finances, quitting unpleasant habits, or spending more time with family, among many others. As the years have passed, I have reduced my list. Being a creature of habit, I noticed after a couple of months that I had resorted to old ways and daily routines. Eventually, New Year’s resolutions became a thing of the past.
But on the last Sunday before one New Year, a sermon piqued my interest in making a New Year’s resolution. The sermon was about change, but the change involved taking the necessary steps to become more like Jesus. I tried to imagine the impact of a resolution that starts with a plan to pray each day to become conformed to the image of Jesus. This would require adopting the mindset of Jesus Christ, characterized by selflessness, humility, faith, love, compassion, grace, and mercy.
Our personal resolutions are mainly beneficial for our well-being, but this resolution would impact the lives of those I came in contact with, allow me to experience freedom from sin, give me a renewed mind and a loving heart, and help me see everything through God’s eyes.
The process requires spiritual growth that comes from reading and studying God’s Word. It also involves a personal relationship where prayer becomes a dialogue between God and us. We hope that others will see Jesus in us and want to experience Him for themselves.
The good news about spreading the good news and joining Christ in His mission is that you do not have to wait for a New Year. Jesus is always near and knocking on the doors of our hearts, waiting to be invited in. Think of steps you can take to become more like Christ.
Felicia is a native of Richmond, Virginia, and has authored There Is a Church on Every Corner, So Why Isn’t Everyone Saved? She believes God can use ordinary people to do extraordinary things to help lead others to Christ and build His kingdom on earth.