It is a New Year! While much will continue on this year that we are familiar with, a new year offers a great opportunity to make changes, to do things differently than in the past, to seek to allow God to help mold us in His image, “beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Resolutions are nothing new to us, but being effective at keeping them may be, as 7 of 10 people who make them will have abandoned them before the end of January. What can we do this year to help us do better at following through, with the help of our Lord?
It seems to me we all could use a big dose of honesty when it comes to evaluating ourselves. It is easy to create a façade for others to see, and then we con ourselves into believing it. This is the way sin works. This is what the Hebrews writer warns against. “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called today, so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13). Sin deceives us, and then hardens our hearts so we will not question ourselves and make changes. As Paul urges, “Examine yourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5), and we do so by letting the Word of God penetrate to the innermost part of our being, showing us where we are at odds with what it says (Hebrews 4:12-13). How honest are you with yourself?
It also seems we need to recognize how selfishness works to set ourselves in God’s rightful place in our lives. Selfishness is at the heart of every sin, and by thinking and acting selfishly we determine how we live, rather than letting God be in control of our lives. Jesus knew very well how big a problem this would be for His disciples, so He said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). This is why Paul said he “crucified himself” with Christ, and that “it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Obviously, Satan does not mind us being religious as long as we let ourselves call the shots.
How can we know if self is more in control than God is? Coupled with the virtue of honesty, ask yourself some basic questions:
- Is it what I want that always seems to come first (one may substitute the word “need” instead of “want,” as need sound more noble than want as a desire)?
- Is my relationship with others based on what I get from them, or what we can do for each other?
- How do I respond if what I want (need) does not come to pass?
- If confronted with these issues, do I automatically have an answer, an explanation, for why it is okay, or do I give serious thought to my motives (in other words, am I always right, do I have all the answers)?
- Do I even consider such things as these (many people, who act selfishly, would be shocked to have someone accuse them of such, having acted selfishly for so long it is not even a consideration anymore)?
It may be resolutions are hard to keep because we handcuff ourselves from the start. It may be we do not examine ourselves to resolve to change, because we have let sin and self deceive us into a false sense of security. None of us is perfect, and there is room for improvement in every life. What will the New Year bring? What will this New Year bring for you personally? Will you allow God to help you grow in His image, or does Satan have the upper hand? “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). On the other hand, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:3-5).
