Most people say they never make New Year’s Resolutions, anymore. Most, never keep them, anyway. New Year’s resolutions are worth making though.

We all need changes. Some we find very hard to admit. There is great power in confession to ourselves, to God, to others. Owning up to our failures is a step on the road to something better.

Do you want things to be different this year? We have a lot of farmers and gardeners at Sac River Cowboy Church. Jeremiah 4:3 says, “Break up your unplowed ground, and do not sow among thorns.” Get rid of the thorns in your life and the more prosperous you’ll be. 

Produce something of value in your life for God. How much “unplowed ground” do you have that can be made useful? A new year is a good time to think about that.

Sure, we might fail in what we set out to do, but like the old saying goes, “If we fail to plan, then we plan to fail.” Failure is not the end. For the person who determines to learn from it, failure is a friend.

The Apostle Paul failed. Throughout his life he was opposed, persecuted, shipwrecked, stoned and left for dead. He was deserted, slandered, and scorned.

He showed an unwillingness to quit. “Forgetting what is behind,” he wrote in Phillipians 4:13, “and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” He stopped looking back, and looked forward instead. He didn’t let the fear of failure keep him from trying again.

New Year’s is a time to learn to rely more heavily on the grace of God like Paul did. One of my favorite Bible verses is when Paul said in Phillipians 4:13 “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” God’s strength saw him through.

This past year, maybe you didn’t practice relying on the Lord as much as you should have. Make a New Year’s resolution. In fact, why don’t you say this short prayer right now. “Dear God, I want the new year to be different for me. I know that I’m going to need a lot of help for this. So right now I place myself in your hands. Help me to receive Your strength. Amen.” Now, you have got a much better chance of a Happy New Year.