A common practice that coincides with the start of a new year is the making of New Year’s resolutions. A New Year’s resolution is a personal declaration of what one intends to do at the start of a new year in order to change an undesired trait or behavior, accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise improve one’s life. Setting such resolutions can be beneficial because they provide a strategic plan for how you intend to make beneficial changes in the coming year.
Though you will not find any reference to such resolutions in the Bible, you will find that Scripture supports strategic planning (Proverbs 21:5) as long as it surrenders to the will of God (James 4:15). You will also find that Scripture expects you to pursue spiritual maturation (Hebrews 5:12-6:3; 2 Peter 1:5-7). Since Scripture supports strategic planning that coincides with the will of God and presents an expectation of spiritual growth, I think it is appropriate for us to, at times, set some spiritual goals.
This week, you are encouraged to plan for spiritual growth in the coming year by completing the following twelve statements. After completing these statements, store this bulletin in a place where you will see it from time to time throughout the year, and let it serve as a reminder of your spiritual goals for 2025. The purpose of doing this is to assist you in “commit[ing] your work to the Lord” so that “your plans will be established” (Proverbs 16:3).
