Resolutions or Prayer for the New Year?

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People often make resolutions at the end of a year for the upcoming new year. God does want us to examine our lives (Ps. 139:23). He also wants us to grow (2 Pet. 3:18) and become more effective and productive (2 Pet. 1:3-8). We must ask, however, if resolutions are the way to seek improvement. What about prayer?

The Path to Growth and Effectiveness In the New Year Takes Prayer

For followers of Jesus Christ, how we get somewhere matters. New Year resolutions tend to fall short.

1) Resolutions tend to grow out of self-assessment rather than asking God to examine our lives. (Ps. 139:23-24; Prov. 3:5-6)

2) We tend to pursue resolutions with self-determination and self-effort rather than trusting God to work in and through us. (Jn. 15:5; Phil. 4:13)

Ask God to Search Your Heart to Reveal Where Change is Needed

As you look back over the past year, you might pray similar to the psalmist, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” (Ps. 139:23) Then ask Him to show you what He might want you to do differently in the upcoming year. — “See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Ps. 139:24)

Pray for the New Year, Search me, O God - Psalm 139

You might ask questions like the following:

  • How has my life affected people in my sphere of influence? Did I bless and build up people or criticize and tear them down?
  • What did I use to guide me in serving and making everyday decisions? Did I look to God and His Word for direction or lean on my own understanding or the ways of the world?
  • How did I deal with problems, conflicts, or mistakes made by others or myself? Did I apply grace and truth or did I merely react?
  • What have I done to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and in ministry effectiveness? Did I grab hold of the resources and growth opportunities God put before me rather than merely coast through life?

Perhaps the answers to the above questions weren’t as you’d hoped, or at least not consistently so. Good news: You have a new year ahead of you to trust God to help you change those answers. Of course, God could take you home to be with Him or Jesus could come first. While those aren’t bad options, why not ask Him to work in and through you in the meantime, so your life makes a difference now?

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Christmas Bible Verses Still Affect You?

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The well-known Bible verses used to tell the Christmas story can become so familiar that we stop thinking about how Jesus’ coming affects us. Take some time to reflect on these verses anew.

Prophetic Verses about Jesus’ Coming

Reflect: How does it affect you to know that Jesus was God’s plan of salvation long before He ever arrived on this earth?
Christmas Bible Verses about Immanuel

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isa. 7:14)

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. (Micah 5:2)

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. (Isa. 9:6-7)

Also read: Isa. 11:1; 40:1-11

Biblical Account of Mary & Joseph Learning of Jesus’ Conception

Reflect: How does their acceptance of God’s plan move you in following His will for your life?

… God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. … You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. … “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” … “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Lk. 1:26-38)

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. … an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” … When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. … (Matt. 1:18-25)

Biblical Account of Jesus’ Birth

Reflect: What will you do to make sure you have room in your heart for Jesus this holiday season?

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken … So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem … While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. (Lk. 2:1-7)

Bible Verses about the Shepherds

Reflect: Once Christmas comes and goes, will you still speak of Jesus with others? … will you continue to praise God for sending Jesus?

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby … An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them … But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. … So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child … The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. (Lk. 2:8-20)

Scripture about the Wisemen

Reflect: As you look forward to Jesus’ second coming, what will you have to offer Him?

Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” … they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. … On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts … (Matt. 2:1-12)

To reflect on other realities about God and His ways in light of Christmas, check out the Holiday Reflections Discipleship Guides resource which includes a guide for Christmas and thirteen other holidays.

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Put the Focus on the Presence of the Lord

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Focus is on His Presence as We Gather in His Name

Sometimes we can get caught up in the place we worship. We may even bemoan not having as big and nice of a building as others. Perhaps, however, our buildings get in the way of true worship and ministry. We forget that Jesus promised, “where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matt. 18:20). With His presence comes His glory and His power, which leads to true worship and ministry. So, let’s focus on the presence of the Lord, not our buildings and technology.

The Focus in the Old Testament

God made His presence known throughout Israel’s history in various places. We see His glory in the pillar of fire and cloud that guided them through the wilderness, on the mountain where Moses met with God, about the Ark of the Covenant and tabernacle, and then in the Temple.

Think of the splendor of the Old Testament temple built by Solomon — the exactness and excellence put into it, the way it reflected different aspects of God’s presence and work among them. Yet, Solomon understood that God could not be contained in a building, in a place.

“But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27)

The Focus in the New Testament

In the New Testament we read of the Early Church meeting together in the temple courts and in their homes (Acts 2:46-47; Rom. 16:5). Paul mentioned teaching them “publicly and from house to house” (Acts 20:20). How much of meeting in homes was simply pragmatic is hard to say. Where would large gatherings have met? Meeting in homes would have drawn less attention during times of persecution.

What we do know is that the focus was not on the meeting place. Rather, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. . . . All the believers were together and had everything in common. … praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:42-47) They did that which put the focus on the Lord, that which invited His presence in their midst. They resultantly experienced His power among them.

Focusing on the Presence of the Lord as We Meet Today

We find no commands for us about the type, size, or location of the place we gather in order to know His presence. We simply read Jesus’ words, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matt. 18:20).

When we gather in His name, we do all we do in His name. — “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col. 3:16-17)

We do find a command about “not giving up meeting together” (Heb. 10:25). The collective experience of gathering in His name invites God’s presence in ways we may not experience on our own as we spur one another on and encourage each other in the Lord (Heb. 10:24-25). That is not dependent on the place we meet.

Help Keeping Perspective About the Place We Meet

For more thoughts about Church Facilities, go to the Church Leader’s Practicum. There you’ll find the following four admonitions that will help you be able to say, “Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place!” (Click on the links below.)

Keep Footing
Keep Focus
Keep Flexible
Keep Functional

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Unlock the Door to Unity by Guarding Your Heart

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Keys to Church Unity - Guard Your Heart“If … then …” statements provide conditions for something to happen. We find four conditional statements for unity in Philippians 2:1-2, thus providing us with keys to unlocking the door to unity. Click on the links below to previous posts on the first three conditions. Here we conclude this series by looking at the need to guard our hearts.

1) Function from your position “in Christ”.
2) Know and rely on God’s love.
3) Walk together in the Spirit.
4) Guard your heart.

To Experience Unity We Need to Guard Our Hearts

Philippians 2:1-2 states that if there’s “any affection and compassion” then we can be “like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind”. The original Greek words for affection (splagchnon) and compassion (oiktirmos) both relate to our inwards parts (bowels, heart, etc.). These two words seem interchanged in their various uses, both signifying the seat of our strong emotions —- what we metaphorically call our heart. We are to respond to one another from the core of our being.

Think of Jesus. He saw a need and then felt compassion which caused Him to respond appropriately (Matt. 9:36; 14:14; Mk. 6:34). Jesus felt compassion because of what was in His heart — love for people. Also remember what Jesus said in Luke 6:45 — “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

Failing to Nurture and Watch Over Our Hearts with All Diligence Leads to Trouble

Consider a few ways our relationship with God and others could be affected:

  • If we don’t guard our hearts, we’ll quickly be pulled away, distracted from our position in Christ (1 Cor. 7:35; 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Pet. 5:7-8). We’ll see others through our own distorted lens rather than how God sees them.
  • It’s possible we’ll lose our first love for God (Rev. 2:3-5) and simply go through the motions which won’t get us through the hard times. Rather than having love and devotion for God and compassion toward others, we’ll live for self.
  • We’ll be so consumed with ourselves that we no longer walk in the Spirit which will quench His work in our midst (1 Thess. 5:19). We’ll be part of the problem rather than the solution.

Is it little wonder we’re commanded to “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Prov. 4:23)?

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Unlock the Door to Unity by Walking Together in the Spirit

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Keys to Unlock the Door to Church Unity

Do you want your church to experience unity? If so, you can unlock the door to unity by functioning from your position in Christ, knowing and relying on God’s love, and guarding your heart. Now let’s see how walking together in the Spirit helps.

To Experience Unity, We Need to Walk Together in the Spirit

The Church is made up of people from different walks of life, backgrounds, giftings, and personalities. This will inevitably lead to disagreements as we come together with our own sets of perspectives and preferences. We need help outside of ourselves to rise above conflict and remain united.

In addition to being a diverse group of people, we’re all fallen human beings who don’t always get it right. Too often our self-centered human nature gets in the way. So, we read, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” (James 4:1). The solution? — “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Gal. 5:16)

The Spirit enables us to “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24). Rather than “indulge the flesh”, we will “serve one another humbly in love” (Gal. 5:13).

Walking Together in the Spirit Leads to Fellowship

Philippians 2:1-2 provides keys to unity, one being the role of the Holy Spirit. — “If there is any fellowship of the Spirit” then we can be “of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.”

God wants us to “live in harmony with one another” (Rom. 12:16, NIV), also translated as being “of the same mind toward one another” (NASB). That will happen as we find our commonality (fellowship) in Christ as we walk together in the Spirit. Without fellowship, we don’t have unity, only outward conformity. If hearts remain unchanged, not truly melded together in love, it probably won’t last.

The title of this post adds the word “together” to our need to walk in the Spirit. As an individual, we can make every effort to be at peace with others (Rom. 12:18) as we walk in the Spirit but we can’t make them do the same. True unity requires a mutual coming together in fellowship of the Spirit.

Leaders can steer the church toward Body Life as God intends for us but must also steer the church toward God’s power to get there.

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Unlock the Door to Unity with God’s Love

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To unlock the door to unity we need heed the Apostle Paul’s words in Philippians 2:1-2.
Keys to Church Unity - God's Love

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. (Phil. 2:1-2, NASB)

We already looked at the first key, based on the “if” phrases, that of functioning from our position in Christ. Here we take the challenge to embrace the “consolation of love” (Phil. 2:1).

To Experience Unity We Must Learn to Truly Love One Another

If we are going to remain united through the failings of one another and strong differences of opinions, we need unconditional love. That’s a love that perseveres, that will not fail. It’s a love that responds with patience and kindness, not anger. That kind of love isn’t self-seeking but rather seeks to honor others. It let’s go of pride and forgives.

This unconditional love, described in 1 Corinthians 13, comes from God. Human love, that which we muster up within ourselves, is insufficient for us to remain united. Only God’s love will enable us to break through the walls and address the feelings of one another without attacking the person. If we’re going to love each other this way, we need to “know and rely on the love God has for us” (1 Jn. 4:16). We can only love because He first loved us (1 Jn. 4:19).

Loving One Another Unconditionally Leads to Comfort

Paul referred to experiencing unity “if there is any consolation of love” (Phil. 2:1). Another word for consolation, comfort, may help us understand this result of loving one another. Love let’s us know that it will be alright, that we’ll still be loved and accepted. We’ll still belong. We’ll be forgiven. That’s comforting.

Having such assurance tends to motivate. It’s worth the risk because it takes the fear out of being “united in spirit, intent on one purpose” (Phil. 2:2). — “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 Jn. 4:18)

Make your purpose as a Church to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37-40). Then you will unlock the door to unity.

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