Happy New year, friends and family!
My daughter and I were commenting this morning that it doesn’t really feel like we are already past Christmas and it’s New Year’s Day. I think the strange Minnesota weather is partly to blame. It’s been so warm and muddy out, it hardly felt like December! Yet, here we are!
We went to church yesterday to see our sweet grandson be dedicated. As I watched my son and daughter-in-law stand on stage with the sweetest baby and an amazing pastor, I thought, what a great way to ring in the New Year! You can say there are better ways – parties, Times Square, lots of noise and craziness. But I won’t agree.
Ringing in the New Year dedicating our hearts and children to the Lord is the absolute best way to celebrate in my opinion! After the dedication, the pastor talked about resolutions and all the different kinds people make this time of year.
I’m going to get in shape.
I’m going to save more money.
I’m going to get a better job.
I’m going back to school.
I’m going to buy that new car.
The list goes on. What’s the common piece in all those resolutions?
Me.
So often, we focus all on ourselves in our resolutions. I am going to… I will do… I want…
And how often do those resolutions last? A week, a month? Usually not much longer than that. Pretty soon, we’re back to our old habits and nothing in our lives has truly changed. Self focus rarely brings about heart change.
Self focus rarely brings about heart change.
The pastor instead shared about a different kind of resolution. A resolution that no matter what comes, no matter the trials, circumstances, ordeals, joys that 2024 can bring, we resolve to focus on the Lord.
We resolve to remember that no matter what the Lord is on the throne and can’t be moved. We resolve to put the Lord first in all things. We resolve to honor the Lord with every task, chore, dollar, event in 2024. We resolve not to worship the idols of this world, but worship the one true God.
It’s not an easy path. Rarely is the right path the easy path. In fact, I’d say the right path is always the harder path.
Think of Daniel in the Bible. He resolved not to eat the king’s food. Why? Not because it was the wrong foods, but because it had most assuredly been sacrificed and offered up to false gods. He wasn’t willing to even partake in the foods offered to the king’s false gods. He resolved to put the Lord first. It wasn’t the easy path. He was thrown in the lion’s den and his friends who resolved with him were thrown in the fiery furnace.
But God.
God saved Daniel and his friends. He rewarded them for remaining faithful and steadfast. He walked with them in the lion’s den and the fiery furnace. They chose the hard path and were willing to walk it because of who their God was and is.
We can make the same choice.
Whatever your New Year’s Resolution may be, put the Lord first. A resolution to get in shape or save money isn’t inherently wrong. But when our trust and our fulfilment lie in that thing, it’s going to fail. We won’t maintain it. We won’t be satisfied with it. We won’t find happiness or contentment there.
Only when we RESOLVE to put the Lord first, will our year be everything we hope and dream it will be. And I can’t think of a better way to do that than to resolve to dedicate our hearts and our children’s hearts to the Lord this very day.
I’ll share more about how we can achieve this in the next post.
For now, Happy New Year! And may the good, good Lord be first in your year!
Desired Haven Farm 