Yes, I know.  It’s the first of the New Year and we all have lists that sound somewhat like this:

1. Exercise more (or for some of us, begin to exercise!)
2. Eat healthy
3. Get more sleep
4. Accomplish more/procrastinate less
5. Clear out the clutter in your home and life
6. Etc., etc.

But we all know we’re supposed to do these things and if you’re like me, we fall far behind.

So I have a new, New Year’s Resolution. Let’s start at the foundation of our life that will give us the motivation to live a life that reflects Christ.

Let’s resolve to grow in our spiritual lives first:

1. To increase our hunger to know God and His Word on an intimate level
2. To have a yearning for private devotion and prayer
3. To be aware of any sin in our life and to ask for forgiveness
4. To have sincere repentance and the desire to become more Christ-like
5. To view spiritual battles – trials, temptation, and failures as avenues of growth instead of obstacles
6. A desire to be used by God in the lives of others
7. To love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength each day.

Manna from Heaven

 What verse should we base this foundation on?

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

 When we seek our Lord first each day and in each decision we make, He will give us all we need to create an abundant life (John 10:10).

Emotional Check-Up

As we have discussed in the past, giving thanks and being grateful are cornerstones to a happy and contented life. So I want to share with you a story I read this week where a woman made a “Thankful and Grateful” jar. Each evening she wrote on a small piece of paper one thing she thanked God for or something she was grateful for and dropped it into the jar. Some days she had praises. On difficult days, she struggled to find one. But at the end of the year, she had a jar full of a year’s worth of joy! Some things were as simple as being grateful for a beautiful sunset as well as seeing His provisions for our physical, spiritual, and emotional needs.

I think having a Thankful and Grateful jar (or you could use a journal, or even a keep a list on your phone will do) this year will be such a blessing!  I will be able to see this time next year all God has blessed me with this year. And seeing the good each day will motivate me into being the best “me” I know I can be, with His strength. We’ll see that the goodness and love of God follow us all the days of our lives.

Seems like a pretty good “New, New Year’s Resolution” to me!

I pray for each one of you that this next year will be one full of our Lord’s blessings!