No Calendar
Proverbs 27:1 (ESV) 1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
Matthew 6:33 (ESV) 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
As we prepare to embark on a brand-new year, many of us will make those “new year resolutions.” A recent Forbes Health survey found that the top four resolutions for 2024 are: improved fitness, improved finances, improved mental health, and to lose weight. There is nothing wrong with making resolutions or using the new year as a starting point for a change in one’s life. With that said, I would like to make two points.
First, why wait? My experience has been that around November, individuals begin to self-reflect and analyze their lives. They determine areas they are not satisfied with and begin to determine that “after the holidays” or “beginning of the new year,” I will make the change. My question is: why wait? So, for the next 1-2 months, as one celebrates Thanksgiving and Christmas, discipline to eat better, to finance better, and to do better goes out the window. The approach is to continue to do what one has been doing, and once the new year comes, I will change. As you can see in Proverbs 27:1, we do not know what will come tomorrow, so why wait?
Two, what is the resolution’s focus? As you can see from the Forbes Health survey, most people’s attention is on self-centered goals. Yes, those goals in themselves can honor the Father. But most times, the intentions behind them are to improve themselves and not directed to honor Yahweh. Our mandate in Matthew 6:33 is to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness,” in other words, we need to be intentional to make Yahweh first all the time. Even as we are trying to get healthier, improve financially, and achieve other goals, the intention behind them needs to put Yahweh first.
So, as you start your day, consider where you are today. Do not allow a calendar to dictate when you begin to change or how you will honor Yahweh in that change. Allow His Spirit to direct you, and in all things and at all times, honor Him.