If you are a Christian, what should be your goal for this new year?

 

IT’S WORTH CONSIDERING

 

As we contemplate the year ahead, we should have some idea where we are headed. I don’t mean what will happen, or what we hope to accomplish. I’m talking about the really big picture—what is my ultimate goal as a follower of Jesus Christ? We get so taken up with the details of daily living that we miss our ultimate purpose—the very tangible one that Jesus prayed in John 17.

 We tend to think in terms of our accomplishments. What will I do for God this year? How will I serve Him? How many lives will I affect? What difference will I make? All these noble-sounding goals miss Jesus’ goal for us. His greatest desire was that we would one with the Father as He was one with Him. It’s all about a relationship, not accomplishments. I admit that aligning our goals with our Lord’s is really difficult. It takes constant concentration and effort to learn to see everything from God’s perspective instead of our own.

What God wants most from us in not our best efforts, but our complete surrender. Until we do, the flesh will dominate the Spirit in the daily battles for our loyalty. Until we come to the end of ourselves and truly give up all claims to ourselves, we will spend our energy performing for Jesus in hopes of gaining His approval. We will waste so much energy when all God wants is to hear us say, “I’m done. I’m tired of all this. I’m Yours—all yours.”

AS I SEE IT

 

Jesus doesn’t want to be a part of our lives. He wants to be our lives. This means that we must seek Him more than anything else in life. All our desires must come under His authority. Our plans for our future must give way to our desire to know him more intimately. Our desire for oneness with the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit must take precedence over everything else. This isn’t just some lofty concept. It must become the engine that drives our train.

Once again, this isn’t easy. It’s not something we are taught to do. We are taught to stay busy with religious activity so we’ll feel good about ourselves. Don’t fall into Satan’s trap. We must get alone with God and do business over this matter. We must put first things first. This is the best New Year’s resolution a person can make—to seek God Himself more than His blessings—to seek a deeper relationship more than an impressive list of accomplishments.

We’ll know we’re on the right track when God withdraws His blessings and it doesn’t matter because our faith and trust is solid. God desires an unshakable relationship that is so strong that it can withstand anything—a relationship that has become the source of our peace and joy regardless of what is happening to us. Are you ready to stop chasing dreams that will likely fade? God never disappoints. How about chasing Him in 2019?

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