If God Wrote Your New Year's Resolutions...

If you’re a human being on planet earth you’ve probably considered making a resolution today. We will resolve, millions of us, to eat less, to be more active, to spend less time looking at our phones and computer screens. We’ll vow to save more money or take that trip we’ve always wanted to take. We’ll promise to call our mothers more often. 

And all of those resolutions have merit.

But may I offer a suggestion? Today, as you make your resolutions, consult God. 

You probably have the day off; use it to listen. Pray and ask God to speak. Then, pull out your Bible (preferably a paper one) and spend an hour wandering in the word. Start in the gospels. Graze. Try a few verses from Romans. Flip pages. Skip into Corinthians. Peruse. Don’t miss James or I Peter. Then try the Psalms or Proverbs. Skim. 

And as you skim, take notes. Think about the person God wants you to be, the person He promises to make of you…

Ask yourself, If God wrote my 2014 resolutions, what might they be?

Here are a few He might write for me…

"Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them." Matthew 6:1

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…" Matthew 6:19

"Run in such a way as to get the prize.” I Corinthians 9:24

"Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.” Romans 6:13

"Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing” I Peter 3:9

"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” James 1:19

Last year, my resolution was to live I Peter 3:3-4,

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

Mainly, I wanted that gentle and quiet spirit. I prayed for it. I tried my best to practice. I failed in epic fashion just days after I made the resolution. But a year later, I feel like God’s done good work, like I’m getting closer to something worth reaching for.

This year, I suggest you tie at least one of your resolutions to scripture, letting God write the script for 2014. You’ll be delighted (and challenged) by what He has in store.