As we come into a new year (2024) it is customary in America for people to make New Year’s Resolutions. These resolutions often pertain to physical health issues (diet, exercise, etc.). This year I want us to consider some SPIRITUAL health issues for the coming year and for the rest of our lives. I
am convinced that the Lord wants us to be “blessed” (can be translated “happy”). He longs for us to know Him more intimately and experience His grace on a moment-by-moment basis. For us to be truly blessed he needs to have FIRST place in our lives. Let me recommend three practical resolutions for 2024 that will help in that process. Give to God:
- The First Part of the Day. We know that Jesus saved us so we could have an eternal “relationship” with Him (John 17:3). This relationship grows as we spend more time with Him learning what is on His heart (the Bible) and expressing to Him what is on our heart (prayer). The Bible is filled with great examples of people that grew close to God by spending time with Him daily (David – Ps. 5:1-3; Daniel – Dan. 6:10 [three times a day]; and Jesus – Mk. 1:35-38; Lk. 5:16. If these two great men and our Lord Jesus needed that time with the Father daily, so do we!). If you have not been doing so, I would challenge you to MAKE TIME early in the morning to draw near to God. A few suggestions: • Pick a consistent place and time with the fewest distractions (this may be costly as you may need to get up before anyone else in your house).
- Have a daily reading & prayer plan. You can make your own or get a pre-printed one. • Agree with someone else to read through the Bible in a year (accountability is wonderful to keep us going). Use “The Daily Walk Bible,” by Walk Thru The Bible Ministries or “Discovering The Bible,” by Gordon L. Addington. There are other suggestions on our church website. • If mornings are impossible for some reason, do it at another consistent time, but make sure it is when you can truly focus and give God your best. He wants us to learn eternal truth that can transform our lives and be powerfully used in the lives of others. We need to be alert and focused for this to be most effective.
- The First Day of the Week. The Lord created in six days then rested. He called Israel to follow His example and work six days with one day of rest (Sabbath). The purpose was to make them more “holy.” It is my experience that I’m more happy (blessed) when I am more holy. It takes TIME to be holy. The early church met on the first day of the week and called it “The Lord’s Day” in celebration of His resurrection (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16; Rev. 1:10). It was a special day when the church gathered for rest, reflection, worship, and instruction. It was a corporate time to grow in holiness through mutual encouragement and edification. We do not grow in holiness by attempting to keep the Law ourselves but by focusing on the Lord Jesus who fulfilled the entire Law on our behalf. Unfortunately, many people today do not value this special time with the people of God. They fill their schedules with too many things, stay up too late on Saturday night, plan too many things Sunday afternoon, and lose the joy of resting in Christ. Oftentimes if one member cannot make it to corporate worship (due to illness, etc.) the whole family stays home. Heb. 10:24-26 reminds us to prioritize this time with one another and come prepared to MINISTER to other members of the body. A few suggestions: • Get to bed early on Saturday night. Get up early Sunday morning and spend time reading and praying to prepare your heart for worship. Come prepared to encourage others.
- If some members of the family are ill, send as many members as possible to church to worship with the saints. They can then come home and report to the others what they learned and what God is doing in the church family.
- Devote the entire day to worship! After the worship service and an equipping class, invite some people over to enjoy a meal together, discuss the sermon and/or Sunday School material, encourage each other to grow in obedience, and pray for specific needs. [Hint: use the discussion questions on the back of the sermon outline] Or drive to the beach to see the sunset and talk with your family/friends about what God is doing in their lives.
- The First Portion of our Finances. God lovingly challenged Israel to honor Him with their wealth. Proverbs 3:9-10 says, “Honor the LORD from your wealth and from the FIRST of all your produce; so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.” Malachi 3:10 says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.” Current statistics tell us that the average evangelical gives about 1.7% of their income to charities each year. How sad! Those same evangelicals on the average have approximately $15,000+ in credit card debt. The Bible talks more about finances than virtually any other topic! What a blessing to be able to store up treasures in heaven (Mt. 6:29-21). Whenever I talk to people who give at least 10% of their gross income to the local church, they tell me how the Lord has not only provided for all of their needs (Phil. 4:19), He has also given them a greater sense of joy and contentment with what they have (Phil. 4:11-18). A few suggestions in this area:
• Take a Financial Peace University class (Dave Ramsey material on financial stewardship). It will change your life! If you are interested, let me know and we will make plans to start a new group.
• Write out a budget that has giving on the top of the list. Learn to live on what is left instead of giving God what is left.
• Simplify your life so you can live on less and give more to worldwide ministry.
Let’s make 2024 a year that is spiritually healthy. Let’s give God first place in our lives! Give Him the first part of the day, the first day of the week, and the first portion of our finances. Let’s watch Him multiply these gifts to make us a blessing to all the nations of the world. May you be blessed!