Resolutions & Dust!!!

So, Christmas has come and gone, and now New Years has quickly whizzed past us, and we start yet another year (2025 in this case). New Years resolutions float about like mosquitoes near a swamp. Almost everyone makes some sort of resolution - be it about exercising more, eating better, spending less time at work and more time with the family, praying more, reading the word more…the list is infinitely long. Most of the time (excluding spiritual resolutions) most resolutions have to do with some sort of perception we have of ourselves - physically, emotionally, economically and socially. Often these perceptions are not necessarily accurate.

There is a statistic about New Years resolutions (and for the life of me I can’t remember it exactly) - but it memtions that a very, very high proportion of New Years resolutions fail within an extremely short period of time - like a matter of days or weeks into the new year.

In Hebrews 12:1-3 we are encouraged by these words…“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

There is so much truth and encouragement to be gained in these first few verses of Hebrews 12. But there are a couple key points that relate to the beginning of a new year.

A) We need to acknowledge that we are indeed sinful people (even though we may have a close walk with Jesus - we are still sinful and we need to carry our cross daily (Luke 9:23) in our walk with God. In that sense, we need to be honest with ourselves and identify the things that we do on a regular basis…the things we struggle with…and we need to make a decision to cast them aside.

Now I realise that this is often harder to do than say. Typically, as we get older and we struggle with a repeating sin, or struggle with a range of types of sins then they are often entrenched into our lives because of the patterns of behaviours and thoughts we have regarding those things.

But this verse is clear - we need to cast them aside because they can entangle us. When a person gets entangled in vines, or branches when they are going for a hike it impedes on their progress, it makes them stop and a time of struggle always ensues. It stops that persons progress to their destination. Sin is the same in our lives, it chokes us, it holds us back and it causes us to struggle so much, that our progress to the will of God in our lives is hindered. That is why we need to throw it off, to cast it aside liek something that is unwanted or useless.

B) Life is a race, but it is a long one - a marathon in fact. In a sprint you don’t need to run with perseverance - you give it your all and in a very brief moment its done. However, a marathon…to run it well, takes perseverence. Because there are times when you don’t feel like you can’t go on, your strength is gone, the pain is unbearable and you begin to despair and get discouraged.

The thing is that each of us has a race to run…a race that God has indeed ‘marked out for us’. It is a race that another person isn’t running, it’s your race, and your race alone…other people move in and out of it - but it’s your race to run and to finish.

The only way we can get through this life and all the struggles of the race that we run, is to fix our eyes on Jesus. There is no amount of trying to manage things ourselves and to focus on ourselves that is going to make it better.

This is where New Years resolutions come in…

Often when we engage with New Years resolutions we are trying to ‘fix’ a percieved issue or problem in our life by placing an ultimatum on ourselves where ‘in our own strength, willpower and efforts’ we can change ourselves and our lives for the better. But this is why people fail so often…we are fallen, sinful people waging a war against our flesh, and it is a war we often lose battles in - on a daily basis.

In Galatians 5:16-17 the apostle Paul tells us… “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.”

This is the conflict that we as believers in Christ wage every day within ourselves. Our Christ-centred spirit seeks to be closer to its source, and it seeks to re-establish the relationship that was severed at Eden. Yet it is in constant war with our flesh which is ultimately selfish, and only seeks to do what it wants - things that please it.

Paul, the apostle, knew this war all too well - for he could see it playing out within himself. In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul says in Romans 7:15-20 - “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”

I am sure all of us can identify with what Paul was expressing here. We say, do and think things that we don’t want to - but becuase we are sinners, we do those very things we hate and do not want to do. That is part of our sinful nature. Humans are creatures of habit, and we repeat things that come easily to us - and some of our bad habits, our sinful habits (whatever they may be - covetness, pride, gossiping, bitterness, lust of the eyes, worshiping wealth, lying, being overly critical etc), well some of them come easy to us…

This is the cross we bear if we are to follow Jesus - we need to daily give up the desires of our flesh, in order to walk in HIS will for our lives.

So, maybe in this new year we should be aiming to exhibit the ‘Fruits of the Spirit’ instead of focussing on our flesh.

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

If we focus on doing those things - maybe, just maybe other areas of our lives might fall into line, or come into clearer focus for us so that we may walk through this new year in step with what God has in store for us. Just like Matthew 6:33 exhorts us to… “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

So this New Year…make the right resolutions…make resolutions that have eternal consequences…make resolutions that won’t turn to dust.

I pray that in this new year, you press in and focus your heart to Jesus. May your year be better than the previous. I pray that the things that may have been holding you back are released. May righteousness be yours.