Another year has come and gone. What can be said of it? Well, in my opinion a lot could be said of it. Tonight is a night people make resolutions. I want to challenge you to make good resolutions and goals for the New Year. At the top of your list as a born again Christian should be the desire to grow in the grace of God. Don’t brush that off and say, “I will do it another time”, no, please don’t, Dear Friend. Christian, God loves you and saved you for a reason and that reason is to put off the flesh and put on the Lord Jesus Christ. The only reason you can do that is because of Jesus. At the top of your Resolutions List should be Jesus Himself! Don’t miss this and don’t skip over it. Yes, men, love your wives; and women, respect your husbands. Don’t miss that either! Your goals to get in better shape and everything else are worthless if you don’t have Jesus. Again, all of those things (even reading your Bible, etc.) are good, but they are not THE ULTIMATE thing. Tonight, even right now, I pray that you will resolve with me to not glory nor boast in yourself. I pray sincerely that you will resolve to love Jesus, His Church, and His people. Tonight I assure you, people are going to make many resolutions. As this New Year approaches I pray Jesus will open your eyes to the glory of Himself and that you may be saved if you don’t know Him. I pray for those sleeping (or “slumbering”) that they may come awake and alive unto Jesus. I pray for my struggling brothers and sisters who are suffering persecution all around the world would be comforted by the love of God. I pray that this next year would be a year of great growth in His grace for you and our other Brothers and Sisters in Christ. I pray that Jesus would become bigger in your vision and that you would glory in the Cross of Christ. At the end of the day all that matters is Jesus. This means that all of our resolutions are for not if they have not Jesus. Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters to resolve to love Jesus, His Church, His Gospel, and to know and declare the love of God for the fame of God to all nations. This is my prayer and my wish for all of us this year. I pray all of you have a happy and blessed New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
