January 2, 2026
Greetings,
New Year’s is an interesting time. Commonly, people reevaluate their lives and settle on changes to make. These are personal promises and declarations which we call resolutions. These are often something like, “In the New Year, I resolve to…” Usually, these take two forms: positive and negative. Positive resolutions are things we plan to improve or do better. An example of this could be, “I resolve to go to the gym and eat healthier.” A negative one is that we plan to do less. An example would be, “I resolve to eat less sugar and drink less coffee.”
The ease with which such resolutions are made and then broken is well known. Every year, millions sign contracts for gym memberships, only to stop attending shortly after. Diets come and go. Pledges to change, themselves, quickly change. Yesterday’s resolution is tomorrow’s broken promise.
Some choose to address this by refusing to make them. For a long time, I would tell people that I do not make resolutions. I know many who hold this conviction. However, I would now recommend another approach. Instead of resolving things that you know you won’t keep or refusing to make any resolutions, why not commit to things that the Holy Spirit would have you do and would help you accomplish?
We should resolve to be more like Jesus than we are today, and to repent of sins with which we struggle. These are not examples of lightly made promises. This means calling on the Holy Spirit to enable and equip us. He wants to make us more like Christ, and a resolution to seek this in our lives is God-honoring. While the world worries about their waistline, and other things, we should desire to be made more into the image of God—to reflect the perfect light of Christ.
Becoming like Christ is core to the gospel. The Lord does not say, “If you want to be more like me, fine; otherwise, also fine.” The Lord says, “This is my plan for you, and I will accomplish it.” The great thing is that it does not require signing a gym contract or putting the candy bar back. It requires repenting of sins as soon as they are discovered. It requires asking him to intercede on your behalf and do his sanctifying work in you. Instead of wasting time with empty promises, turn to God and let him work out his promises in your life.
In Christ,
Pastor Ken