New Year’s Resolutions
“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”—Proverbs 16:9 (NIV)
New Year’s resolutions provide a fresh start, encouraging us to set personal goals and make positive changes for the year ahead. Whether you’re aiming for fitness, career milestones, or personal growth, these annual commitments help us reflect on the past and envision a brighter future. If you’re seeking a fresh start or inspiration for a better tomorrow, today’s passage of Scripture holds the guidance you need.
Let’s start with the heart. Here are a few other Scriptures concerning the heart:
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”—Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”—Matthew 6:21 (NIV)
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”—Jeremiah 17:9 (NIV)
“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.”—Proverbs 17:3 (NIV)
These passages of Scripture, along with today’s passage of Scripture, refer to your heart of worship rather than your physical heart. What does “heart of worship” mean? Just as your physical heart pumps blood to sustain your body, your spiritual heart fuels life into your soul and spirit. Just as your physical heart needs proper nutrition, rest, and exercise, the health of your spiritual heart depends on who you worship, how you observe the Sabbath, and what you treasure most.
The Bible teaches us the condition and quality of our hearts is crucial to our lives, emphasizing the need to guard it carefully. If we’re not careful, we can easily adopt unbiblical expressions like, “Follow your heart” or “Go with what you feel.” However, we must rely on the Lord, not ourselves, for our heart’s safekeeping, as only He truly knows the depths of our hearts and what they hold.
Before setting our New Year’s resolutions, let’s take a moment to reflect on the condition of our hearts. Just as farmers till the soil to create the best conditions for growth, we must prepare our hearts and invite the Lord to search them.
Though this preparation is difficult and we often give up before it’s finished, let’s commit to the hard work of tilling our hearts and entrusting all our plans to the Lord. When we do, we can trust He will establish our steps, as today’s Scripture reminds us.
Pause: How often do I consider the Lord in my plans?
Practice: Invite the Lord into your New Year’s resolutions and any future plans you have. Ask Him to search your heart and your intentions for accomplishing those plans.
Pray: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23–24 NIV).