4 Christian New Year's Resolutions

Photo by Anna Tarazevich

While Christmas passes and the new year comes rapidly approaching, it can be difficult sometimes to make lasting and meaningful resolutions in time (if any resolutions are made at all!). For most of my life, I viewed resolutions as a recipe for failure that people make at the beginning of the year, usually consisting of things such as weight loss, eating healthier, quitting smoking, etc. But over the past few years, I learned that there is some merit in creating resolutions. Not all of them fail, and while there is nothing wrong with wanting to be healthier or financially stable, for Christians wanting to grow in their faith, it would be healthy to consider making spiritual resolutions this upcoming year for the glory of God and for the good of our souls. In this article, I would like to share some ideas for Christian New Year’s resolutions with some tips for how to actually accomplish them by the end of the year.

1. Focus on a Bible verse or a word for the entire year

Last year, I heard a Christian explain that she focused on a word each year that helped her in her walk with Christ. For example, last year, she made her theme word of the year “slow” so that she could focus on slowing down and resting in Christ. She implemented various habits into her life (and cut out some not-so-great habits) to help her rest in Christ and meditate on His word. This could be applied to any word, a fruit of the spirit, or perhaps even a Bible verse. Perhaps you are wanting to be more generous with your time or giving, so you could focus on the word “generous,” or maybe you want to focus on contentment this upcoming year, so you memorize Philippians 4:11-13 and ponder it throughout the year. Meditating on related scripture verses, reading Christian books relevant to the year’s theme, and praying over it, are some ways you could work on your theme.

2. Read the entire Bible in a year

This might be a very basic new year’s resolution, but it certainly can’t be done too much! Do you want to get to know the Bible better? Perhaps there are some books in the Bible you have never read while some have been read countless times! Whether you’ve never read the entire Bible or have read it cover to cover countless times, learning from all of scripture about who God is, and understanding how to live for the glory of God, is vitally important for our faith. However, getting started can seem very overwhelming with such a big book, so I would recommend using a Bible reading plan specifically made to be completed within 1-2 years. The Bible reading plan I would most recommend is the Bible chronologically (this is not in the order of the books but in order of the Bible events from earliest to latest) which has been very helpful for me, but there is also the discipleship reading plan (allows you to read a little bit from 4 different areas of the Bible each day), and many other reliable reading plans. This would be a great resolution to do with a friend, family member, or spouse who can hold you accountable and offer helpful discussion.

3. Focusing on a Spiritual Discipline

Maybe this year you would like to be better about making it to church every Sunday, you want to study the scripture more in depth, or you want to get better at your prayer life (I can relate to that struggle!). There are many spiritual disciplines pointed out to us in scripture that aid us in our walk with the Lord and in making us more Christ-like. However, I often make excuses for myself to get out of practicing many of them, especially during busy seasons. Dedicating an entire year to learning about and refining a spiritual discipline can be a great way to see the benefits of the disciplines and allow it to deeply impact us for the rest of our lives. Reading a book about the spiritual discipline of concern each month, finding some friends to talk about it regularly, or even asking your Pastor for advice on how to start with the spiritual discipline, are some ways that this idea can be implemented into your new year.

4. Dedicating the year to praying for the lost people in your life

We all have unsaved family members, neighbors, and friends in our lives who we desperately want to know the Lord. For the confident atheist or those who have lived so long without ever coming to Christ, it seems hopeless that they ever would. But God can work through prayer in miraculous ways, especially when we remember that “Salvation belongs to the Lord” (Psalm 3:8). He is the One who opens eyes and renews hearts. He is the only One who can change anyone so dramatically from the inside. While we are called to evangelize and witness to those around us - it is the Lord who does the saving. So let us pray to Him! Many have been saved because of faithful friends or family members who prayed that they would be saved, sometimes for months, sometimes for years and even decades. If you are not sure how to pray for unbelievers, here is a great guide. To remember to pray for them, leave a note on your bible or bathroom mirror and see what God does!

Final Tips and Thoughts

I have a bad habit of trying to do all sorts of complicated new year's resolutions, only to drop most or all of them before March even comes around. I have learned that focusing on a few rather than many resolutions can help with success. Also, making vague new year’s resolutions will not do. A key to success is making the resolution as specific as you can with a written end-goal and specific action steps in place of how you will work through the resolution and complete it.

However, it is hard, maybe even impossible, to be successful in resolutions that grow your faith if we do not rely on the strength that God supplies. Spiritual practice requires our effort, but we should be ultimately depending on God to help us. As it says in Psalm 127:1:

Unless the Lord builds the house,

those who build it labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city,

the watchman stays awake in vain.

So pray for the Lord’s help, and remember that we cannot grow in our faith without the Holy Spirit working within us.

We must also remember that our resolutions should always be done for the glory of God. What are your true motivations? If we are committing to new year’s resolutions to impress those around us or feel good about ourselves, our labor for righteousness is all in vain. What we do only has lasting purpose if it is done for the eternal, worthy glory of our Great God. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17). So let us pray that we commit to these resolutions for the glory of God, that our accomplishments and effort would magnify the greatness of God rather than ourselves.

May we honor the Lord in all that we do this coming year, and may He grow a love and zeal for Christ in us that is bigger than our love and zeal for anything else!