Good evening brothers and sisters in Christ! I hope you had a GREAT Christmas and a happy New Year's and that 2019 is off to a good start. Many people look at New Years as a time to not only reflect but also to start fresh. Many make New Year's Resolutions to do things differently in the upcoming year. Many, like me, might resolve to make a change physically. They want to get in shape and lose a few pounds by starting to work out or perhaps work out more. Others resolve to make a change relationally. This could be to spend more time with their kids or spouse or friends or some other loved one. For others maybe this year is when they resolve to change how they spend their time. Perhaps it's to finally plug into that small group like they've been talking about forever but just have never gotten around to or maybe they want to spend less time on social media and more time on their favorite hobby. Still others might resolve to make a change mentally. They're tired of always being stressed out with work or family or money or all of the above. They feel like they really need to make a change because they simply cannot keep carrying the heavy loads that they are currently carrying and that 2019 is going to be the year, their year to make a change.
I heard a stat on the radio today that most people will drop their new years resolutions within the first two weeks of January. I do not know how accurate that stat is but I would guess that it is likely to be very accurate. As you study how the Apostle Paul describes the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is mentions many characteristics but he mentions two of them twice and I think that is significant. If you read Galatians 5:22-23 and 2 Timothy 1:7, you see where Paul tells us twice that the Spirit that lives within all believers produces love and self-control/discipline. Why does that matter?
My point is this… this year you don't need less stress in your life you need more peace and the Spirit of Jesus Christ is peace. You don't need less discouragement in your life, you need more joy and the Spirit of Jesus Christ is joy. You don't need less anger towards those around you, you need more love and patience and the Spirit of Jesus Christ is love and patience. Unlike the stat that I heard earlier today the Holy Spirit GROWS discipline and self control within the life of the believer IF YOU LET HIM to make real change possible for us as believers. He does not however, grow within you automatically, all relationships take effort by both parties to grow. I honestly believe that the reason most people fail to accomplish their goals is because they go about it wrong. They try to harvest the fruit without watering the roots. If you want to increase your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control, discipline or power than you need more of Jesus Christ since He is the source of them all. The more that we grow in Christ's likeness the more that the Spirit grows all these NATURALLY within us. Jesus tells us that we grow in grace by the WORD of God (John 17:17). This year, I would challenge you that if you are not in the word of God daily than you are missing out on the life that Jesus purchased for you on the cross and you will never fully see the life of self-control and discipline and love and joy which is required to make those New Year's Resolutions a reality. Start tomorrow. Start your day with a single chapter of the New Testament. Starting your morning with God in His word will change your life forever, I promise… all that and it can take as little as 10 minutes. Have a great evening, a great week and a great 2019!