New Year's Improvements

by Bethany Lashbrook

This Week’s Verse: Proverbs 3:11-12, “But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline; don't sulk under his loving correction. It's the child he loves that God corrects; a father's delight is behind all this.” (MSG)

Devotion:
On New Year’s Day, I was at my parents' house eating our January 1st meal of ham and beans. While we ate, we had the usual discussion of our New Year’s resolutions. I started to think about all the things in the past I had once wished for. You know, the resolutions that at one point in time most of us women have made:

I pledge to lose 10 pounds this year… I would like to work out more… I am going to spend more time with my children on a daily basis… I am going to do less rushing, and more chilling… I am going to help the environment and recycle more… I am going to stop spending money on credit cards… I am going to make new friends, and be nicer to the IGA employee checking me out when I am in a hurry.

Any of these sounds familiar? Well, as we were all jokingly telling of our New Year’s resolutions, my dad mentioned that he no longer was calling them resolutions. Rather, he was going to refer to his as “New Year’s improvements.”

What an idea!

I sat on that for a couple of days and have agreed to make some improvements of my own. See, all of my other New Year’s resolutions started with “I,” so I want to first off, give up the “I” and see what God has in store for me. The second improvement is to stop thinking in such a worldly way when it comes to making these improvements.

I would like to trust Him more, love Him more, seek Him more, adore Him more, and show Him to others more often. I could always read more about Him, tell others about Him, help others through Him and live more like Him. I can always forgive more, love my neighbors more, care more, and show more fruits of the Spirit. These are all huge improvements that I would love to make in my life this year.

Even though I will keep fresh in my head those ten pounds that I have pledged to lose again this year, I will remind myself of the real improvements needed in my life!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for so clearly opening my eyes to the real improvements needed in my life. There is nothing more in this life that we should want than to please you. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Application: Have you made any New Year’s improvements this year? Would you like to ask God to show you areas of improvement in your life? Prayerfully consider asking God for the complete truth of how He would like you to be in 2010.

Power Verses:
Ephesians 4:23-24, “Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” (NLT)
Colossians 1:10, “… that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;” (NKJV)
Matthew 6:25 & 27, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear… who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life.” (NIV)