If we want to make 2018 a great year for us, we've got to make it a great year for God. The Bible tells us that while God is always on the move, doing something new and amazing, we also have to move with Him. That's the way for us to have a great year - to move with God.
We cannot expect to have a great year by simply doing nothing. We can't afford to be lazy, or double-minded about what we're going to work hard for in this year. We've got to know what God wants us to do and do it with all that we've got. That's how we will have a great year this year: by following hard after God.
Do you want a great year ahead of you? I sure do. I would like to share with you, friend, a few great things that we Christians should strive to accomplish this year. Doing our best in them will ensure a great year for us, whether we fully succeed or not.
1) To read the whole Bible
This year, let's make it a point to read the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Psalm 1:1-2 tells us,
"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night."
We've got to desire reading the Word of God intently and with great hunger for God.
2) To grow in our prayer time
Next, we've got to desire to spend more quality time with the Lord in prayer, even in fasting. Many of us pray every day, but only for a few minutes, or perhaps whenever we're bored or idle. We've got to give more time to God not because He needs us (He actually doesn't), but because we're in grave need of Him. We can't live apart from God, and prayer is the way we connect with Him.
Let's grow in our prayer times.
3) To serve others in our homes and in our churches
If we've never tried lifting a finger for someone else to help or serve them, now's the year we should try doing it. Serving others is the way to greatness, and the Lord Jesus Himself said that in Matthew 20:26,
"...but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant..."
4) To share the Gospel to people who don't know Christ
Christian, we've got to spread the Gospel of Christ Jesus to those who don't know Him.
While it's great spending time with people in church, we can't keep spending time with people in the church and ignore the fact that many people outside the church either don't know Christ, or were driven away by our un-Christlikeness.
The Lord Jesus commanded all of us to preach the Gospel. That's not a suggestion or an option. That's a command.
5) To love God with all our heart, soul and strength
Lastly, we've got to love God with all that we are. We've got to love Him with all our thoughts, our emotions, our desires, our abilities. We've got to love God with all that we have and all that we are. He deserves nothing but our all.
