A Year of Possibilities

Happy new year! There is something about the start of a new year that brings a renewed hope. It's like a blank canvas with limitless possibilities. If you can dare to believe it, you can achieve it.

It's always at the start of a new year that people make resolutions. Their intentions may be good, but the resolutions usually go out the window by the second or third week of the year. Resolutions are hard to keep. I stopped making them a long time ago.

Instead of resolutions, I prefer to make commitments. I am committed this year to improve on things I've already started in all areas of life. Here are a few things I'm committed to this year:

I'm committed to improving my walking by working to get stronger and stronger. Even though I finished my physical therapy, I still have a lot of work ahead. But I believe I can do it. God promises us in His word to deliver us from ALL our infirmities. Jesus bore our sicknesses when He took the 39 stripes on His back. So why should we settle for less than God's best? God wants us to be well. All we have to do is believe it and reach out and receive it.

I'm committed to becoming a stronger disciple of Christ through prayer and Bible study. I want to do more than just read the Scriptures. I want to do all that it says to do. I was reading this week in Romans 12, where it says "do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world." For too long, we have compromised our beliefs and followed the ways of the world. It's time for believers to stand up for the truth. That will be my goal this year: To be more like Christ and follow all His ways.

I'm committed to being a better witness for the Lord. The Bible says there will be false teachers in the last days who will deceive many. Even some believers will be deceived. We're seeing that today. That's why it's important for us to warn our friends and family not to give in to the ways of the world. Society has accepted many evils, such as drinking and couples living together outside of marriage. But these things are wrong. God will not tolerate sin of any kind. We must take a stand against these evils, even if it is not a popular stand in the world. Unless we warn people to turn from their sin, how will they know? It's our duty to tell others about Christ.

Time is short before the return of Jesus. This could be the year He returns. It's time to get serious and serve God wholeheartedly, with all our strength, all our mind, all our soul. That's my desire this year. How about you?