Message by Larry Thacker Jr. from December 31, “What Are You Waiting For? – 2023 version”
I’ve never been a big fan of enslavement to the calendar, but the changing of the year does provide us with an opportunity to evaluate where we’ve been and where we’re going. Many of us will make New Year’s resolutions to do something better for the future. I notice as I read the research on the kinds of resolutions people make that they are generally self-focused. The top resolutions according to one survey were to improve fitness and to improve finances.
Those are good things, but I can’t help thinking a Christ follower’s resolutions might look a little different. Our model is Jesus, so we’re always going to fall short, but that doesn’t mean we stop trying. Self improvement is good, but self-sacrifice is better. What resolutions might we make that benefit others instead of ourselves.
There is no Biblical foundation for a New Year’s resolution, though there is certainly nothing wrong with choosing this time to make one. However, I think the Biblical standard is higher. Once we know the right thing to do, to continue not to do it is considered sin (James 4:17).) If we have determined that something is worth doing, why wait for a new year?
