We all have them – New Year’s resolutions. Here are some of the common ones family, friends, and other people share with us this time of year:

• Health & Fitness – “I want to feel better. I want to look better. I want to weigh less, and exercise more.”
• Improved Mental Health – “I want to stop being so depressed, lonely, and sad so often. I want to feel happier.”
• Better Financial Situation – “I want to be wiser with my finances. I want to have more money. I want to have more for retirement.”

Now for the incredible reality: 80-92% of all resolutions fail, with most people giving up by mid-February. Only 8% stick with it for the long haul. Our dreams of being in better shape, across several facets of our life, quickly go by the wayside, and we return to old habits, or not-so-beneficial ways of doing things.

I cannot help but notice that most of these “resolutions” center around bettering ourselves mostly physically or materially. They are rather inward-focused in nature. We are searching for more. We are searching for wholeness, well-being, and wealth, but are these things the types of improvements we should be seeking?

Now I’m not saying there is anything wrong with taking care of yourself, and your body IS the temple for the Holy Spirit while here on this earth. We owe it to God to take care of this fleshly vessel He gave us as much as we possibly can. We should be responsible with the gifts He has given us, but I think we’re called to do it a little differently than the world would have us do it.

Maybe instead of just losing a few pounds, we can work to shed the weight of sin on our heavenly bodies. Instead of merely popping a pharmaceutical, doing yoga, or meditating, we can meditate on God’s word that has something to comfort us regarding every storm in life. Maybe instead of saving for the next big thing for our home, we can set aside more for the homeless. This is not meant to chastise or condemn, but it can be convicting.

Having a Christ-led focus is no easy task for humanity, and even some of Jesus’ own disciples grappled with issues of the flesh as we do today. We struggle to do what we know we ought to do. Paul so appropriately describes this in Romans chapter 7:

¹⁵ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶ And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸ For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Clearly Paul was struggling with sin still dwelling within him. He is not alone. This is a constant spiritual battle for pretty much everyone. This is why resolutions need to be looked at for what they really are: attempts at doing better. In our spiritual life, we are called to continuously strive to live as Christ lived, and that’s a very tough assignment indeed. We are called to repent, and to move past our sin as much as possible. Jesus knows our struggle, and has promised that He will be with us when it may not be so easy to “walk the line.”

Jesus was the one person in history that was able to keep all of His “resolutions.” He resolved to save His people. He resolved to free us from the bondage of sin. He resolved to give us value beyond anything the body, mind, and material wealth could possibly offer. He offered us not resolutions, but a single promise to be our Savior, and our Lord. In His promises, he resolved the biggest problem to overcome: separation from God.

Happy New Year! Go forward blessed knowing that you are part of Jesus’ PROMISE for the world. We are God’s children, and He is a great God indeed!