New Year, New_____?

By Pastor Ron Miyake

Have you made any New Year’s resolutions for 2019? What kinds of hopes, dreams, desires, and goals do you hope to do or see happen in 2019? How would you fill in the blank of New Year, New ______?

I read an article that stated that one gym/health club would bring in extra equipment at the beginning of January. On January 1st, the gym is packed out. Then by around January 7th, they move out the extra equipment as most people have given up on their New Year’s resolution, and the gym returns to normal.

As I think about New Year, New _____, there are certain words that come to mind. New Year, New diet, physical exercise plan, weight loss plan, running plan, spiritual growth plan, learning plan, etc.

When people make these plans, the hope is to get off to a good start now and hopefully continue throughout each month and through the year. Unfortunately, these plans don’t always go like we would like them to. But, if we persevere and see results throughout the year, then we can celebrate meeting our goals.

Of all the different New Year’s resolutions or goals that we might have for 2019, the one that I hope that we would persevere in is our spiritual growth goals. Goals like talking to God (praying and listening), reading and studying God’s Word, connecting with other brothers and sisters in the Lord, fasting(?!?), confession, telling others about Jesus, etc.

But more than just seeing these spiritual exercises as goals to meet and things to do, I hope that for myself and for each of us, we will see doing these things as part of growing in a love relationship with the Lord.

When I started dating my wife and growing in love with her, I remember always wanting to talk with her and to be with her.

Hopefully our love for the Lord and desire to be with Him and spend time with Him would be greater than the love we have for the closest person we know. Though it is not always like that, hopefully, we are growing more and more in our love with God.

Mark 12:30, my theme verse for 2019, says, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

I hope and pray that for you and for me, 2019 will be a year of growing in our love for the Lord. Spending time talking and listening to Him, learning more about Him through the Bible, telling Him what’s on our minds and hearts, sharing with Him our deepest desires. Trusting Him with each area of our lives. Spending time with the Lord not to reach a goal or to complete a New Year’s resolution, but to grow more in love with Him.