With one more orbit around the sun freshly behind us, most people have a list of things they want to accomplish in 2017. New Years resolutions have been a tradition for a long time. A fresh start on a new calendar inspires us to make changes, improvements, explore new horizons, and grow in our personal lives. While many of us have different goals, here are three resolutions that young Christians should strive for in 2017.
1. Remember to live graciously. For American Christians, this can be a great struggle. Our culture has undergone many drastic changes in 2016, some good and others bad. With these changes inevitably came division and tension, even between some Christians. In 2017, make it a personal goal to not live defined by these divisions and differences of opinion. Love everyone, especially but not exclusively Christians. Make it a point to show grace and love to people outside the walls of the Church. Remember that you were once also a stranger, even an enemy, to God, and He showed you unimaginable grace and mercy. In light of His actions toward you, how could you do anything but live graciously towards all people?
2. Work to solve real world problems. Make 1 Corinthians 10:31 a reality in your life this year: “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” The children of God should be a positive influence everywhere they are. There may be an elderly man or woman in your community who needs help. If God has blessed you with the resources, you may support humanitarian efforts in underdeveloped countries, or you may even spearhead those efforts yourself. An area that is rarely addressed in most Christian circles is how to better steward the world that God has given us (the more liberal version of this is environmentalism). But just because some who do not claim Christ as their Lord work to improve the relationship between humanity and the planet does not mean we can’t do the same to the glory of the Creator. After all, He made this world and made us caretakers of it. Whatever abilities and gifts God has equipped you with, find ways in 2017 to apply them to leave behind a better world than the one you were born in, all to the glory of God.
3. Renew your commitment to spiritual disciplines. Perhaps the most common New Years resolution for Christians, it is also the most important. John 15:4 highlights the importance of living connected to Jesus Christ: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” How do we abide in Christ? By living according to His Word, the Bible; by communing with Him in times of prayer and meditation; by seeking Him with our fellow Christian brothers and sisters. This year, make Christ your culture, and the environment in which you develop and grow as a person.
