With a New Year comes New Year’s Resolutions. Since they are quickly broken far more then they are kept, we often neglect to make them anymore. Who wants to be discouraged by unkept resolutions? But the New Year is an excellent time for assessment, and an opportunity to write down a vision for your life. A New Year allows us a fresh start, an opportunity for God to do something new in your life.
Here is an exercise I do with our church staff each year that can help you work on your goals for 2012. I ask each staff member to take out a sheet of paper and write four words on it: KEEP, DROP, CHANGE, ADD. They are given private time to think, pray, and meditate on what they are going to keep, drop, change, and add in their life and ministry. You can’t just do a couple or even three you have to do all four in each area of your life. It takes a little effort, time, and thought but is definitely a worthwhile exercise.
I have taken time to work on my personal goals for 2012. There were a wide variety of areas I considered: personal goals, family, professional, health, etc. Then came the spiritual goals. When I began to think about it I quickly realized that each category of life should reflect a spiritual goal. I am first and foremost a disciple/follower of Jesus. I should be living life the way He wants me to. I need to order my life according to God’s will and plan in EVERY area of my life.
A corporate goal for our Christian Life family in 2012 is to be men and women of His Word. God tells us everything He wants us to know in His Word. It is all we need for faith and practice. That is why at the beginning of this year we are going to read through the Bible in a month. Pick up a copy of The Story (Zondervan - ISBN-10: 0310936985, ISBN-13:978-0310936985), read twelve pages a day, and you will read through the Bible in one month and one day. You won’t regret making this resolution. It will take time and effort, but I can’t wait to see results of spending time with God in His Word.
