My Answer: A resolution without a plan is a wish
Q: Last year, I made a bunch of New Year’s resolutions, and to be honest, I haven’t kept a one of them. Why wasn’t I able to I keep them? Maybe this year I should just forget about making any resolutions. — C.H.
A: Perhaps the “resolutions” on your list weren’t really resolutions at all, but merely a list of your wishes — things you would have liked to happen in your life but had no realistic plan to achieve.
But there’s another reason why our resolutions often fail: We simply don’t have the inner strength to carry them out. Temptations come, and we give in to them. Discipline is required, but we’d rather do what’s easiest. What’s right is clear to us, but we give in to the pressure of the crowd.
Even the apostle Paul experienced this inner moral and spiritual weakness: “I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out” (Romans 7:18).
This is one reason why we need Christ. When we put our lives into his hands, he comes to live within us by his holy spirit and begins to change us from within. He gives us a new desire to do what’s right, and a new power to carry it out. The Bible’s words are true: “The spirit helps us in our weakness” (Romans 8:26).
Don’t drift aimlessly through another year. Instead, as this new year begins, turn to Jesus Christ and commit your life to him. God loves you, and Christ gave his life for you. Why not give him your life in return? Not only will he help you cast off the bad habits and sins of the past, but he’ll also give you a new desire to live as you should. Open your heart to Christ today.
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Q: Did people in biblical times celebrate New Year’s Day, like we do now? Or is it only a holiday that doesn’t have any religious significance, but just celebrates the beginning of another year? — M. McR.
A: Every year, God’s people in Old Testament times celebrated the end of the old year and the beginning of the new one (just as people of Jewish heritage do today). Their calendar was somewhat different from ours, and this celebration always occurred in the fall.
For most people today, New Year’s probably has little religious significance. It only marks the beginning of another year. However, people in Bible times saw the end of one year and the beginning of another very differently. For them, it marked the end of the annual harvest and reminded them of God’s goodness to them.
In fact, they celebrated one of their major annual festivals then, setting aside time to thank God for his kindness and mercy (see Leviticus 23:16).
What will the end of this year and the beginning of the new one mean to you? Will you celebrate it as so many do, not even thinking about God or how he wants them to live? Or will you pause to look back over the past year, thanking God for his goodness, and seeking his forgiveness for the ways you failed?
Most of all, will you pause and commit the coming year — and your whole life — to Jesus Christ? Only God knows what the future holds, for us as individuals and for our world. But when we know Christ, we know we belong to him and are securely in his hands forever.
Let the psalmist’s words be your guide: “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him” (Psalm 37:5).
(Send your queries to “My Answer,” c/o Billy Graham, Billy Graham Evangelistic Assn., 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C., 28201; call 1-(877) 2-GRAHAM; or visit https://www.billygraham.org.)