How much of your new year is dedicated to a new you? How much of your new year is invested in your relationship with Christ? Colossians 1:16 "For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him." Doesn't that verse humble you and make you question your priorities?
"The Bible says, "It is God who directs the lives of his creatures; everyone's life in his power."" [R. Warren] When we only focus on ourselves, God can get lost in our priorities. We must put God first in our lives! How we spend our money and our time should be a reflection of our relationship with Him.
"You were made by God and for God--and until you understand that, life will never make sense." [R. Warren] God created us for his pleasure, not to entertain him, but to have a relationship with. "God is a personal Being, and it gives Him pleasure to have other beings He can have a genuine relationship with." [gotquestions.org] God pursues us, but we must open our hearts and mind to begin that relationship.
"God is not just the starting point in your life, he is the source of it." When we depend on God's Word, we find true wisdom and direction for the trials of life. Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." We often get in a rut of doing things our own way, instead of God's way. We have to have an intentional change of heart, mind and attitude to overcome our sinful, destructive ways.
Life without God is meaningless. If you're just living for yourself or others, then you will surely be disappointed. If you live with Jesus and His willful purpose in mind, then your submissiveness to His plan will payoff. "We cannot serve both God and ourselves. Living for God means we make a final decision about who is in charge. When our flesh begins to reassert its rights, we take it back to the cross and allow it to die. When sin tempts, the decision has already been made: we seek God’s will over our own." [gotquestions.org]
As for myself, my new year has an intentional plan of 'more Jesus, less me'. Living for God may be difficult, but it is not joyless. My focus will try to be on Romans 12:19, because His wrath is just and greater than anything I can do. 1 Peter 4:16 "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name."
