New Year, New You? New Year, Same God.

Church family: It’s the last day of 2021. Have you accomplished everything you resolved in your mind to accomplish on New Year’s Day 2021, 364 days ago?

Starting tomorrow, will you repeat the resolution process all over once more?

New Year’s Resolutions can be good. Scripture even says it is good when we resolve to do things, when we set our heart upon something to accomplish it (Ps. 17:3; Ps. 119:112). However, resolutions can be inherently self-centered. They focus on ME and all the things that I desire to do. And often when we are pursuing our resolutions, we forget other people in the process, and even may lose sight of what God desires for us.

As we enter 2022, our primary question should be: What does God want us to be this year? A right answer to this question will set us on the right path to honoring God this year, both in what we do (resolutions) and who we are as followers of Him.

2 Samuel 6 gives us a wonderful glimpse into how the God we worship in 2022 has never changed, is still the same God today as He was for King David and the Israelites, and how His desires for us are still the same as His desires for His followers at all times and in all places. The ark of God represented His very presence among the nation of Israel. And God is Himself pure holiness and righteousness, and nothing can come into His presence that is not purely holy and righteous. King David loved God with all his heart. He was called “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14, Acts 13:22). He loved being in the presence of God. He loved worshipping God with every single fiber of his whole being. But David did not always perfectly obey this Holy God. David attempted to approach the presence of God without meeting the requirements God had clearly laid out for all who would wish to experience His presence. His heart may have been in the right place, but he did not obey God's required law.

God desires worshippers that worship Him not only with full hearts completely and wholly devoted to him, but in full obedience to Him and all of His requirements. Our obedience to God proves our heart-devotion to Him. King David learned this lesson the hard way in 2 Samuel 6. The beautiful news for us is that we do not have to go through the pain of this lesson ourselves! Even though we cannot possibly obey God perfectly in all of His commands and laws, Christ Jesus has already done it on our behalf! Jesus has given us access to the Father, by meeting all of the requirements of God to come into His presence.

Our unchanging holy and righteous God desires that we become ever greater worshippers of Him, both in heart and in action. So, as we enter 2022 “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Heb. 10:22) to the most Holy and Righteous God we worship! Whether we accomplish our resolutions by year-end or not, let it be true of us that we worshipped and experienced God in a deeper, greater, and richer way than ever before.

I look forward to seeing you all next year when we gather together in God’s presence to worship Him,
Kyle.