Whatever God has laid on your heart for the new year, ask yourself: How can I pursue His calling on my life with holiness and humility?

For better or worse, New Year’s Day introduces the topic of resolutions. Some people embrace them, others refuse to make them, and still others reframe them. Whatever our stance, we can’t deny the benefit of renewing our focus for the year ahead.

How can we do that in a way that doesn’t merely rehash empty “resolutions” from years past or become a trite annual exercise that we neglect like a gym membership?

In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul issues a challenge for holiness and humility we can apply as we anticipate the year ahead.

A Holy and Acceptable Purpose

The first word most people associate with resolutions is probably success. How can I achieve this goal? How can I lose that weight?

Here is where we need to reframe our expectations. If our goal for the year is a dollar figure or a certain number, the odds are that we may later feel deflated or disappointed. Bank accounts and a specific size won’t satisfy us, even if we somehow attain them.

The first word most people associate with resolutions is probably success. How can I achieve this goal? How can I lose that weight? Here is where we need to reframe our expectations.

What will satisfy is a holy life spent in the pursuit of pleasing God.

Holiness. It isn’t a flashy concept. We’re not going to see any commercials advertising holiness, but this quality should still rank high in our books.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1, NKJV). Another translation describes this holy submission as our “spiritual worship” (ESV) Our service, our worship, and our purpose are to follow God’s model of holiness. “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16, NKJV).

If that sounds overly simple, it isn’t. Holiness involves daily decisions that deny our flesh. It can be as simple (or not so simple) as biting our tongue instead of saying something unkind to our spouse. It can mean turning off the television instead of viewing the show “everyone’s watching.” It can mean reeling in our minds from wandering to things we shouldn’t think about or guarding our tongues against gossip.

Holiness not only encompasses what we shouldn’t do but also what we should. Paul goes on to write, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2). When we don’t let wrong thoughts and actions clutter our lives, we make room for opportunities to do God’s perfect will, whether that be training our children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6) or going into our workspaces as salt and light for Jesus (Matthew 5:13-16).

Holiness is hard work, but it’s our calling for every new year God gives us.

Humble Minds and Willing Hands

A second attribute far from the average resolution list is humility. Once again, this quality is countercultural to the world’s quest for success, but it is a prerequisite for exercising our talents.

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). Paul then goes on to explain how both our physical bodies and the body of Christ have many members, each with a purpose and unique gifts.

The point isn’t comparing our gifts to someone else’s. The point isn’t even how we exercise the gifts we have. Paul gets to the heart of the issue when he challenges us to embrace a humble mindset concerning ourselves and our gifts. In other words, we must guard against pride, which turns our focus away from glorifying God to gratifying self.

How essential is humility for our New Year’s mindset? It’s as important as the first article of clothing we don in the morning. “Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble’” (I Peter 5:5b). Just as we have to pull on our socks each morning, we need to practice a mindset that prioritizes God and others before ourselves.

Whatever God has laid on your heart for the new year, ask yourself: How can I pursue His calling on my life with holiness and humility? If you do, your resolutions won’t fade after January and will likely surprise you with blessings that only God could imagine for your life.