2 Corinthians 5: 16-21 

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, to be reconciled to God. For our sake, he made him be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 

It’s that time of year again when resolutions are made to be broken. 

1. Gym memberships increase for a solid 3 months. (I think I’ve lost enough weight. I don’t want to overdo it.) 
2. Budgets are made only to be ignored on the first visit to the store. (I have a coupon!) 
3. Getting organized starts off great, but we want to take a nap after we take all the stuff out of the garage. (I can’t throw these away, these shoes are from college!) 
4. Not letting things get to us last until that first red light in traffic. (Helloooo, the light is green!) 

Or you may be of this variety 

1. My resolution is to not make resolutions. (Finger Guns) 
2. I’m great the way I am. I don’t need to make changes. (Ba Bam) 
3. I’m still working on last year’s resolutions. (If ya know what I mean) 
4. I don’t want to change. (no facial expression) 
5. I hate change. (slams door) 

Oh, the fun we have around the first of the year with ourselves. 

Here are some stats on resolutions: 

1. After 1 week, 75% are still successful in keeping it. 
2. After two weeks, the number drops to 71%. 
3. After 1 month, the number drops again to 64%. 
4. And after 6 months, 46% of people who make a resolution are still successful in keeping it. 
5. In comparison, of those people who have similar goals but do not set a resolution, only 4% are still successful after 6 months. 

So what resolutions should we set for ourselves? 

How about we focus on being new creations in Christ Jesus? In our scripture focus, we see in verse 17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 

If you have accepted Jesus as your savior, then you have a calling to be more like Him. That should keep us busy until Jesus comes back. 

1. Praying God’s Will be done in our lives. 
2. We speak with Truth and Grace. 
3. We love others as ourselves. 
4. We share the Gospel with others. 

If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Savior, I’m going to give you the best resolution… DO THAT! 

If you really want to make a change in your life that will affect your 2023 and beyond, accepting Jesus as your Savior is the best decision you will ever make. 

Here’s a great resource to help you get started. 

https://www.uncommen.org/an-uncommen-believer/