A Pastor Helps with New Year’s Resolutions

It has yet to happen, though it still could. But someone could ask their pastor to help them formulate their New Year’s resolutions. Think that’s too much? Perhaps. But aren’t pastors supposed to be spiritual leaders of their people out for their members eternal good? Aren’t they praying for their members daily and seeking to feed them with the Manna from Heaven, the Word of God? Aren’t they laying down their lives as shepherds to protect and love their people? Aren’t they supposed to be able to say like Paul, follow me as I follow Christ? Yes, to all the above. Well then, I’d say they should be qualified to help their people think of proper resolutions for the next year!

So let’s just say that happens, a member approaches me about their New Year’s Resolutions, what would I say?

1. Pursue Christ More - Psalm 105:4 says, “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually.” We are all seeking something or someone, be it a new look, a new future, or a new person in our life. However, the Scripture invites us, better commands us, to seek the Lord. Of all the things we could pursue this next year, Christ is the best. Plus, it is His face that we will see if we seek to know the Lord more, for He, Jesus, fully reveals the unseen God to us (John 1:18). Great, but how do we practically do this? Well, there are a lot of ways to do this, but let me just give you a couple of them…

2. Make A Habit of Sunday Morning & Evening Worship - That’s what we are really doing in going to church on Sunday, we are pursuing our Lord. We aren’t just showing up to church, evaluating the music and message, enjoying a couple bites of fellowship and food, and going home. No, we are pursuing Christ! We are choosing the better portion like Mary did (Luke 10:38ff.) and even the man with the legion of demons (Luke 8:26ff), and sitting as Jesus’ feet. Even if there are but crumbs being served, a hungry soul always comes away feed (Matthew 5:6).

But why just do that once on Sunday, when your church offers you two opportunities? Yes, we are talking about going back to church that Sunday night to pursue Christ more (No evening service in your area? Perhaps we can help)! ‘But that’s hard, especially with young children.’ It is hard, yes, but hard things haven’t stopped us before, and never have they when a great blessing promised to those that ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7:7-8)? But another way to look at all this is what one my elders calls ‘habit’. We all will make a habit of that which we enjoy. So, let’s just add Jesus and His Worship to the list of resolutions for the year! But don’t stop there…

3. Pick a Plan for Private Worship - One of the greatest deterrents to our pursuing Christ more is we have no plan, no plan of attack. Sure, Sunday’s services are all planed out for us, but what do we do on our own? What do we read? How long do we pray? Do we even sing? And you can forget about memorizing and meditating! Well, no really, but if one thing is for sure is that if we have nothing planned, we will accomplish just that: nothing! So, pick a plan and stick with it for a while. There are tons to chose from. There are Bible readings plans and Bible study books. There are prayer methods (Matthew Henry’s method, the ACTS method, the Lord’s Prayer, etc.), online hymnals and psalters, and Bible memory challenges (see our churches for 2025). Do your research and go with one for a while. If, after some time, you see areas in which you need to modify, do it. There is no set way. But one thing you should commit to is to seek the Lord during this time. Do not be content to get through your spiritual check list, treat it as a time of private or personal worship of the Lord!

4. Aim to Mortify Two Sins - Two may be a bit zealous, but hey, why not? We all have sins we need to kill in our lives, why not make it more than a matter of prayer, but with intention make it our aim to put to death this year with the Lord’s help? Is it time you clean up your mouth (Ephesians 4:29)? Are you giving yourself to slothfulness and gluttony (Titus 1:12)? Are your pride and lusts eating your spiritual lunch (James 4:1-10)? Do you love bearing a grudge more than showing mercy (Matthew 12:7)? Well, the Lord has given us another year to attack this sin! And to attack it because this sin is stealing our joy away from Jesus. That’s what is happening by the way, when we sin: we are choosing sin over Jesus. So, why not kill that sin before it kills you? Just aim for two, and take them down with the Holy Spirit’s help this year. And don’t worry, you won’t run out of sin to attack before you die or Christs comes. There will be plenty more next year to tackle!

5. Become Known to a Church - Here we mean more than join a church, but plug in to that church and open your life up to others. Hebrews 10:24-5, “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” That church down the road was given to you by Christ to help you. Sure, they aren’t perfect, but no one is making that claim. The only claim we are making is that we know the Perfect One who saves us and gives us one another to help encourage one another. There are so many Lone Christians these days, thinking they will survive the wild wasteland of post-Christian culture. But the truth is, once a Christian isolates themselves from the pack of others, they are exactly where the infamous prowling lion the Devil wants them to be, so they can be picked off! Let us not isolate ourselves, forsaking the gathering of God’s people. We were meant to be together, One in Christ but all so very different. Therefore, on top of picking a church, pick a group within that church with which to serve, pray, study, and be known by. The Lord, whom you seek, promises to be with His people and you are among them!