Since I didn’t have any questions that came in this week, I thought I’d take a few moments of your time and talk about New Year’s resolutions. 

According to a recent news article, nearly 40 percent of adults in the US make a New Year’s resolution. If that statistic holds true, then it means a significant portion of you readers have already etched into your mind what you’d like to accomplish in the new year.

The most popular New Year’s resolutions are not surprising. The top several include our health; losing weight, going to the gym, eating better, etc. The next most popular group of resolutions deal with our activity or perceived productivity. These include being more organized, learning a new skill or hobby, and finally getting that promotion at work.

I don’t think New Year’s resolutions are necessarily a bad thing. In fact, most years I have some goals that I want to achieve in the new year that could rightly be defined as resolutions. One of my goals this year is to read the Bible more, and I am planning to read through the Old Testament four times and the New Testament six times in 2023. 

Like nearly anyone who has made a resolution in the past, sometimes I succeed in these goals, but other times I fail. In 2022 I set a goal to read the entire Bible (66 books, 1,189 chapters) in 30 days. That is quite an undertaking and one that I did not succeed in. I did end up reading my Bible through in about 40 days, which was a new personal best for me, but my resolution went unfulfilled. 

Although New Year’s resolutions aren’t necessarily bad, sometimes the motivation behind those resolutions is. For instance, if my intention was to read the Bible more so I could brag to my friends and family about how much Bible I read, that would be a bad thing. However, if I intend to read the Bible more so I can know God’s Word and thus know God better, then that is a good reason.

As you consider what you might resolve to do in the new year, allow me to make some suggestions that I think will be beneficial to you.

I think every person should resolve to know the Lord better in 2023 than we did in 2022. The old adage really is true; you are as good of a Christian as you really want to be. There is nothing stopping you from knowing God better but yourself! To know the Lord we have to communicate with Him. We communicate with God through two primary resources: Bible reading and prayer. Unfortunately we take both Bible reading and prayer for granted. 

As the late Pastor Adrian Rogers said, “The Bible is God’s love-letter to mankind.” We have been given everything God wants us to know about Himself and His plan for the redemption of man in the Bible. We live in an age when the Bible is easily accessible in stores, apps, and the internet. If you don’t have a Bible of your own, I will gladly give you one if you’ll reach out to me. There is no excuse for any person to not have the Word of God.

While the Bible is God speaking to us, prayer is how we talk to God. No relationship would stand if only one person did all the talking all the time. If we are going to have a good relationship with God we need to hear what He has said in His Word, but we also need to talk to Him in prayer. 

Along with knowing the Lord better in the New Year, I think every Christian should resolve to getting to know God’s people better, too. When I say God’s people, I’m talking about the local assembly of believers, the church.

The church is the only organization instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. While He was on earth He started the very first church with His twelve closest followers, the Apostles, and gave them the authority to start more churches.

The local New Testament church is a resource that cannot be overestimated. I have often said that I don’t know how people get through life without the support of a church, and I mean it. The people that make up a Bible preaching, Bible believing church can be a safety net and anchor in our lives. They will pray for us, cry with us, and encourage us as we go through life. The church provides us a place to serve the Lord, to give, to worship, and to belong. 

Whatever 2023 brings your way, I hope you will be closer to God and closer to God’s people at the end of next year. I believe they are resolutions that will have an eternal impact on you, and those in your life.