It doesn’t matter if you are reading this on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, or a random day in May. The question you must answer is, “Who will Jesus be in your life over the next year?” Where you will be in the future is determined by the decisions you make right now.
If Jesus isn’t who He should be in your life today, where do you think you will be a year from now? What I know for certain is you will be further away from Him than you are today. Is that what you want? You can’t keep going the same direction and expect to end up in a different place. Your steps dictate your destination (Galatians 6:7–8).
Growing closer to Christ is a lot like dieting. Tomorrow or next week always seems to be a better time to begin than today. But what if tomorrow never comes? Not one of us has the promise of another breath, much less another day (James 4:14). The best time to get serious about your walk with Jesus is right now. Putting it off only proves you aren’t serious about following Him (Luke 9:62). Delaying your obedience shows you still love the things of this world. Worse, and more dangerous still, is that it means you don’t love God (1 John 2:15). The love and allegiance that God’s character demands is not a love you can put off for another time. Who will Jesus be in your life today?
We make many plans and set a lot of goals. How many of them focus on honoring, glorifying, or growing in obedience to God? Self-centered people will set self-centered goals. Jesus-centered individuals will set their eyes on eternal things, not the comforts of this world (Colossians 3:1–2; 2 Corinthians 4:18). One day, you will breathe your last breath, and everything you were pursuing will cease to matter in the blink of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). All the things you spent your life acquiring and admiring will be gone. Only what you do for Christ will remain (1 Corinthians 3:12–15). Nothing else will matter, and nothing else will survive.
If you want to set goals, set them around what lasts for eternity (Matthew 6:19–21). Once and for all, begin each day on your knees and in the Word. Before the pressures of the day come crashing down around you, gird yourself in the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–18). Haven’t you learned by now that you are no match for the onslaught of evil, temptation, and expectations of our fallen world (John 15:5; Ephesians 6:12)? Any day that doesn’t begin with your head in your hands or buried in your Bible is a day destined for defeat.
After beginning your day with God, make your next goal to be more loving, patient, and humble towards everyone you meet. Jesus said that loving Him was the most important commandment, and the second most important was to love others as much as you love yourself (Matthew 22:37–40). You don’t always have to be right (and you aren’t!), so swallow your pride and close your mouth. People don’t need your opinions; they need Jesus! Spend your time serving rather than building your own kingdom. Put down the remote control, game controller, and phone. Find people in need and help them (Galatians 6:10; James 1:27; James 2:15-17).
We are slaves of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:22), and as such, our obligation is to do what He would do in every circumstance (1 John 2:6). That is what you should aspire to be in the coming days, weeks, and months — more like Jesus. Why do you need any other goals? What other direction is more profitable? Who will Jesus be in your life this year? Will He hold first place, or are you going to live another year for yourself? Another year is gone forever, and your time is running out (Ephesians 5:15–16). Before it’s too late, make your life all about Jesus, and nothing else.