What is wrong with new year’s resolutions? There’s nothing wrong with a resolution in general, to resolve to do something, but the very sound of the phrase “new year’s resolution” sounds like something we are determined to overcome on our own power. People make all kinds of resolutions. Some follow through, but often making new year’s resolutions is like buying exercise equipment, it gets used for a while then gathers dust. We can resolve to be better people, better husbands or wives, get in better shape, eat better, read the Bible more, pray more, etc. All good things. We may resolve to be a “better Christian.” The problem is that is a pretty general statement. I want to trust God more. I want to resolve to more faith in Him and less in myself. I want Him to increase and me to decrease. How do we get there? It’s not enough to want something to happen. I can want to be in better shape really badly. I can sit there and think about how much I want to be in better shape while I eat cookies and watch TV. I can watch a bunch of exercise shows. That should work. Just watching those things makes me hungry. The thing is, when we make resolutions, we are usually resolving to do something that is against our nature. If that were not the case we would already be doing those things. We need that nature to change, and so what we need is not so much a New year’s resolution, but rather a New years resurrection. You see, our behavior flows from our nature, and you can’t fix human nature. It needs to die, so the Lord can raise something new in it’s place. We need God to change our hearts. |