I love New Years Day. There is just something exciting about a New Year. The opportunities seem endless, new goals are set, and new dreams are imagined. However, more often than not we look back at the end of the year and wonder what happened. We failed to meet our goals, and end the year feeling dissatisfied. As I’ve been pondering the exciting new year that we have been faced with, I have been challenged with a thought that I believe has the potential to radically change the entire scope and outlook of our year. I believe that it can change us from the inside out and change the lives of those around us. With this in mind, I share with you my overarching goal for 2018 that I hope you will join me in: Make 2018 about Glory.
The reason I think that this has potential to enrich our lives is that I believe that each of us is already living for Glory in our lives. The imperative question, then, is simply; ” to whom or what are we bringing glory to?” Ultimately this question boils down to two possible answers: You are either bringing glory to yourself or to Christ. I believe that our best chance for an enriched and fulfilling life is to spend it passionately pursuing Christ in all we do. It is from this viewpoint that I have been pondering how and to what purpose I should be setting goals for myself in 2018. The verse that springs to mind as I ponder this question is I Corinthians 10:31 when it says, “Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.” We as Christians are called to an all-encompassing, passionate, pursuit of the glory of God in all we do. So with this in mind, I would like to share with you a few areas of my life I hope to glorify God in 2018. I pray that maybe one or two would be an encouragement to you.
Seek God’s Glory through His Word
“Wow, so original Tim.” This may very well be what is running through your mind right now, but while it may not sound exciting or ground-breaking, making 2018 about a diligent searching for the glory of God in scripture is the best decision we can make. There is simply no better way to gaze upon the glory of God, and then find out how we can have a part in magnifying that glory, then daily time spent seeking Him in His Word. There are many different ways this can play out in our lives, whether it is reading through the Bible systematically in 2018, or spending a certain amount of time each day devoted to the Bible. The method is not nearly as important as the end goal, which is to daily submit yourself to the life-changing words of the Word. Let us join with David when he prayed ” Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” (Psalm 119:15)
Glorify God through love for others
When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-40, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” This passage is so powerful. Everything we do in life should ultimately be done out of love for God and others. What better way is there to glorify the God of love than to be a people overflowing with love for others? I want 2018 to be a year where the love of Christ is so present in my life that I cannot help but extend that love to others. Let us let love be the end goal.
Glorify God through giving
This ties into the last point and is really just a specific way to love. As followers of Christ, we are who we are because of a gift. The just and holy Creator of the universe looked upon sinful mankind and gave us an inexpressibly amazing gift in the person and work of Christ. Christ was killed by sinful men in the place of sinful men so that we could receive the Gift of all Gifts – God Himself. Let us be amazed and driven to action as we ponder this great gift. Let’s glorify God through the giving of our time, energy, and money as we seek to point others to the Giver of all good gifts.
Glorify God through work
This may seem like the most mundane and meaningless of the list, but when it comes to glorifying God it is of extreme importance and an area that I would like to do better in in 2018. God is a God of Work, he modeled work for us when He created the Universe in six days and gave work as a gift to the first man ever created. So whether you are in college or a career, work as hard as you can with the Glory of God as your focus. Set Goals, work to meet them and accomplish them all with the Glory of God as your focus. Look to Jesus for help and work as hard as you can to bring him glory as you point others to Him through your work.
I hope that one of these was a help or an encouragement to you! Lets together make 2018 the best year yet as we set and achieve goals; all with the glory of God as our overarching theme.