A new year is upon us, ‘tis the season to make resolutions. All my life I have been taught that the new year is a good time to start new projects. As worthy as my goals may have been, the project never lasted very long. I always would work really hard on them for the first few days, but after that, life always went back to being the same. So for about the last four years, I have had pretty much they exact same resolutions as the year before, but every year I would say, “I am going to do it this time; I will try much harder.”
Let me ask you a question. Why are new year’s resolutions so advertised in the Christian society and the world’s society? The only reason that I could come up with was that they must be important for them to have so much emphasis. I would hope that the things that end up on your new year’s resolutions list are all to make yourself and the world better, so if you had to sum up what you are trying to do in the new year you could probably say you are trying to “do good” with your life. God thinks that doing good is a big deal because I typed “do good” into a Bible concordance and I got 29 different matches. By no means do good acts earn favor in the sight of God or necessarily make you a better Christian. If you are thinking, “then why am I even working on new year’s resolutions?” or even if you are not thinking that, I am going to tell you. We are to be like Christ. Philippians 2:1,2-- Be Like Christ; Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
After these two verses there is a long list of things that we are to be and not be. There is no way that we can better ourselves in the sight of God, but that does not mean that we can walk way from the plans that God has made for us, and yes, those plans include making good habits and doing good.
Some people have said that habits are what make the man. If a habit is all you need to be known as a good man, then how much better off would you be if you had habits that were built around the Lord? A very wise man said that it takes 40 days to make a habit but it only takes one to tear it down. Another wise man once said that anything that is honorable is hard to make into a habit, but anything that is bad is addicting. It is so much easier to play computer games than to do school, but we all know which one has more value.
I am sure all of you have a small list in mind of things that you would like to work on this year. If not, ask God if there is something. I for one am going to be working on the project that I have had for the last 3 years-- making good habits, yes, that is it. For a better part of my life, I have never been good at making my bed every morning or always putting away the lunch stuff that I get out, or even brushing my teeth every night. (I know that a lot of you are really grossed out right now; for the record, I only miss a night about once every month.) I have never been good at doing the small things. Some of you may have projects like mine; others of you may have really big ambitious projects and there is nothing wrong with a big goal. The point is that you have one.
I wish that I had one hard and fast rule that would grant the success of your project, but I do not. The only advice I can give you is get accountability and just do it. We always have a way of putting things off, but when you think of it, that is the time to do it. Friends will always be there to help you out, or even family will be there to make sure you feel bad when you don’t get it done. It does not really matter who you get as long as you know that they will keep you in line.
Project: Get accountability for my goals, outline what my goals look like, and do them every day no matter what.
Like always, I would very much like for you to do this project with me. It is so much more fun when you know that other people are doing it with you. If you would like for me to keep you accountable, I can do that too. What ever you need (besides money), I would like to help you out.
This project is going to be a 40 day project, just so you know.
Eccl 3:12-15 “I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime; 13 moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor--it is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him. 15 That which is has been already and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by.”
Follow up: This is another one of those projects that is hard for me to tell you what happened. God is good though and I really do think that he is doing a good work in my life. I feel him being more active in my life.
