Happy New Year! 2024 is behind us, with all of its memories both good and bad. It is a good tradition, I believe, to start each new year by looking forward to whatever days we have ahead that God has ordained for us, as well as taking a hard look at ourselves. Hence the tradition of New Year’s resolutions. I know many people do not make New Year’s resolutions anymore, and that is a shame. We do well to evaluate our lives, identify some things that we know need to change, and come up with some concrete, actionable steps to accomplish these changes. Often, though, our resolutions center around self-centered or worldly goals. Then, we often fail to achieve long-lasting life change because we try to accomplish it solely in our own power. Let me encourage you this year to evaluate your spiritual life and your priorities, and then to lean on the power of the spirit to help you orient your life in such a way as pleases God and conforms to his word.

Anytime I hear the word “resolution” my mind immediately goes to the New England colonial pastor, Jonathan Edwards. He drafted a series of 70 resolutions that he read to himself over and over again during his life in order to help himself keep his eye on the purpose of life for a Christ-follower in this world. His first resolution provides a great summary of the purpose of life for us all to consider:

“Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and 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. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great so ever.”

Paul reminds the church in Philippi of this same purpose in Philippians 3:13-14:

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

As we stare down the barrel of a new year, let us learn from both Edwards and Paul to seek to live for the glory of God in all things, knowing that Christ himself is the ultimate prize. Nothing in this world is greater, and therefore worthy of our allegiance. Let us not strive to increase ourselves in this world, but that we would grow more and more to be people of the word who walk in obedience to the King of Kings, regardless of the cost or sacrifice. Let us resolve to cling to nothing in this world but Christ, and to put to death whatever in our lives is holding us back from following him closer. May your New Year’s resolution this year be to grow in personal holiness, to serve God’s people, to grow in knowledge of God’s word, to pray, and all the while to trust in the Holy Spirit to help you along the way. May 2025 be a year in which you experience an even greater depth of the joy, peace, and grace of our Lord and Savior!

-Bro. Adam