Today is the first day of a new year and a new decade. This is a time when many people make resolutions to do things differently in the coming year. Some people resolve to get healthier or develop better habits. We see the new year as a new beginning, a chance to start over. But, many of us will soon fall back into our old patterns of living. Change is hard. So, each year we once again make New Year’s resolutions in a never-ending cycle.

Here are Time Magazine’s Top Ten Resolutions:

Lose Weight and Get Fit

Quit Smoking

Learn Something New

Eat Healthier and Diet

Get Out of Debt and Save Money

Spend More Time with Family

Travel to New Places

Be Less Stressed

Volunteer

Drink Less

http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,2040218,00.html

Christian Ideas

These are good things to do or change in our lives. But, most are broken within the first quarter of the new year. Our ideas are lofty but lack measurable results or detailed plans to succeed. We dream and hope for a better year with a better us.

Consider setting New Year's resolution to become more Christ-like in 2020. Click To Tweet

What if we could resolve to become more Christ-like for the New Year. Not only would we become a better person, but we could also make the world around us a better place by our example. When we seek Christ first in all we do, our lives will fall into place. Psalm 51:10-11 is a great place to begin as we seek God with a pure heart.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

Psalm 51:10-11

Christian New Year’s Resolutions

Here is my list for setting Christian resolutions for 2020 and the Biblical references to help us all grow more Christ-like.

1. Read the Bible. Psalm 119:11, “I have treasured Your Word in my heart so that I may not sin against You.” Many people set a goal to read the entire Bible in a year. If you set this goal, there are many great plans available to help you track your progress and succeed. But we must be realistic and set an attainable goal like reading several verses each day or even just one verse a day. The idea is to develop a new habit of seeking God in His word.
2. Attend Church. Hebrews 10:25, “not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” Spending time with fellow Christians helps strengthen our faith. We are blessed to have so many options when it comes to attending church. Find the one that feels right for you and is Bibically sound.
3. Pray daily. Ephesians 6:18, ”And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Spend time in prayer each day, even if only for a few minutes. Try to start and end your day with a prayer of thankfulness for all God has given us. Reciting the Lord’s prayer is also an excellent place to begin to get into the habit of praying.
4. Love others. Mark 12:31, “The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these.” Love conquers so many problems in our world and in our daily lives. When we love others, we find true peace in our hearts.
5. Help others. Proverbs 19:17, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” Imagine our world if everyone helped their neighbors in need.

The New Year gives us a fresh start. Why not use this year to start a new tradition of Christian resolutions. Click To Tweet

Additional Verses

Here are a few more verses to guide you in preparing your New Year resolutions:

Colossians 3:14-15, “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

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Ephesians 6:18, “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,”

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Luke 6:31, “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”

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James 5:13-16, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

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Luke 6:27, “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,”

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Luke 6:27-28, “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”

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Blessings,

Yvonne M Morgan, #Blogger, #Speaker, #Writer

Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

100% of the proceeds from sales of my book, Turning Mountains Into Molehills, go to help the orphans at Orphan Relief Effort, Inc

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Additional Resources:

My Story

Getting to know Jesus

Prayer for Salvation

4 Ways to Turn the Holiday into a Holy Day