New Year. New Beginnings.

A man’s heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps.

(Or, we can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps).

Proverbs 16:9, American Standard Version

New Year’s resolutions are often declared this time of year and, typically, are abandoned in short order. Why is this? Does this represent a failure on our part? Is a resolution a promise, and if so, to whom is it made?

I read recently that when we make New Year’s resolutions, “we are utilizing a very important concept called self-efficacy, which means that by virtue of aspiring to a goal and following through on it, I have a sense of control over what’s happening in my life.”  An analysis of this provides at least a partial answer to why we often fail to keep our resolutions.  

Proverbs says that even though we are free to set our goals, the Lord will direct the steps toward its accomplishment. By themselves, goals are good; but it is implementation that produces results. “I” may set the goal, but “I” am not in charge how to accomplish it. Through prayer and study and faith, we can learn from God the steps to follow in order to accomplish the goal we set. Since we are not in control, relying on ourselves to determine the “how” is ineffective and often results in discouragement and abandonment of the goal altogether. If we include God in setting our resolutions, He will more clearly guide us in determining how to achieve them. Making the resolution (promise) with and to God and relying on Him and not ourselves can dramatically increase the success rate. And when that happens, be sure to give the glory to God. 

Prayer

Father, thank you for giving us latitude to make choices in our lives.  Help us to lean on you through prayer and devotion to your teachings in order to make choices and take actions that are pleasing to you and that help spread your word throughout your kingdom. 

This devotion was written by Roger Wilson and read by Judy Wilson.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.