Show me your ways, O LORD,
teach me your paths;
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.  (Psalm 25:4-5)

Every New Year we are challenged with making resolutions for the coming year. Resolutions to loose weight, stop a bad habit, or start a good one. Christians make resolutions as well. Resolutions to read the Bible every day, to be more involved at church, to tithe, or any number of other things to be a better Christian. Everyone seems to be thinking about how to change his or her live in some way or another.

Resolutions are not necessarily a bad thing. They can help us focus on some really important issues, but if we are making a resolution without a true motivation to see it through then it will fail. For example, as a Christian are you resolving to read the Bible every day because it is a good thing to do, or, are you resolving to do so in order to develop a closer relationship with Christ? If you are motivated to become closer to Christ then you'll most likely continue reading and growing, but, if you resolve to read every day because it sounds like a good thing to do, then unfortunately you will most likely give it up after a few weeks.

So, as a Christian, how do you know what New Year's resolution to make?   Here are some suggestions:

• Pray for wisdom on what resolutions you should make, if any. If you seek out His will in prayerful reflection, He will lay upon your heart any resolutions He would have you make.
• Pray for wisdom on how to realize the resolution, what would He have you do to accomplish the things you are resolving to do?
• For I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13) - Don't go it alone, ask God to provide strength to help you achieve the goal.
• Find someone to confide in to help keep you accountable. A good Christian friend who will challenge and encourage you will go a long way toward keeping you on task.
• When you occasionally fail, and we almost all do, don't let it discourage you. Let your failure serve as a reminder that you need to rely upon God for strength to carry you through.   Let failure motivate you to become even more determined to succeed.  
• When you realize that your resolution has become reality don't become proud or arrogant that you made it.   Give God the glory for great things he has done, for without Him we are nothing.

Resolving to do something this year?   Make sure that it is from a desire and motivation to become what God would have you be rather than just because you think it would be a good thing to do.   And remember, above all, that if you are called and committed to the goal, He will see you through.

Have a Blessed New Year!,