A new month, a new year, a new day, a new chance to change your life and grow in Christ!
What goals have you made for this year? Luke 2:52 says, “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” From this simple verse let me suggest four major areas where we should set specific goals throughout the year in order to grow like Jesus.
1. “Wisdom” is growing intellectually. What will you do to stimulate the mind that God gave you? What will you study? What will you read? Don’t be like a pastor who recently told me when he retired he was going to finish his book. I excitedly said, “so you are writing a book,” and he said, “no I plan to finish reading a book!” Leaders are readers and we must remember that our main source for acquiring wisdom comes from reading God’s Word and applying it to our lives.
2. “Stature” relates to the body. What will you do to improve your health? What bad habit will you stop and what healthy one will you start? Does your body project a positive witness for Christ? Is our preaching, teaching, and witnessing diluted because we cannot control our appetites?
Experts in human behavior say it takes 21 repetitions to break a bad habit or to establish a new habit. That means if you do something every day, after three weeks it will become an automatic response, a habit. Continue for another 21 days and you will have established a life-long habit.
It is possible to learn good habits and unlearn bad ones, even those that are deeply ingrained. It’s all a matter of choice and determination.
Think of it…Six weeks from today you could be in much better shape than today.
3. “Favor with God” is the spiritual area. What will you change about your life that will draw you closer to Christ? This spiritual dimension affects all of life, physical, social, mental. Your walk with God should have priority. R.A. Torrey said “you can’t be much like Him, if you don’t spend much time with Him.”
Meeting God daily in your devotional/worship time is the single most important thing you will do today, tomorrow, and the next day.
4. “favor with men,” this is the social/fellowship dimension of life. The Bible says in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
What will you do to be a better friend, neighbor, work associate? We should seek each day to be a blessing to other people. Part of earning favor with people is being honest in all our relationships at work, at leisure, and at home.
Be like Jesus by seeking this year to grow in these four areas.
It’s time to change your life… ready, set, go.
Keep the Son in your eyes,
Mike James