It is the time of year where we as a culture typically take some time to reflect on the past year and assess if there are any areas where we want to make changes for the next year. There are many areas of our lives where we might consider changing our behaviors. Some may focus on physical health, some on financial health, some on spiritual health, and some a combination of all of these. The Bible has something to say about all of these areas of our lives, but not surprisingly, most of the text of the Bible addresses our spiritual walk with God.
Looking back on the past year, I believe we can all find areas of our lives where we can set our minds in a new direction, or simply make a course correction. For example, are we satisfied with our daily prayer time and our Bible study time? Have we purposed in our hearts what we will give to the work of the local church? Though scripture does not prescribe a specific time of year for taking inventory of our current situation it does have a lot to say about spiritual growth and improving our spiritual condition. Romans 12:2 tells us to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The world is constantly influencing us to conform to its values and way of thinking. Over the course of time we can slowly drift away from our intended Christian walk and end up far from where we want to be. If we find ourselves looking more like the world and less like Christ, we should consider renewing our mind and making different decisions for the upcoming year.
As we consider making different decisions, let us also remember the words of the Hebrews writer in 12:1, which says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us…” New decisions and behaviors must be accompanied by ridding ourselves of sin in our lives or we will continue to be ensnared, weighed down, and pulled off course.
This upcoming year, let’s all commit to evaluating where we are in our spiritual walk, removing the sin from our lives, and making a commitment to grow closer to God.