2024 Resolutions

Well, folks. A new year is upon us. Time to take inventory of the good, the bad, the ugly, and yes, the awesome!

For some, 2024 was a rough year, easily worth leaving behind; for others, the year wasn’t so bad, perhaps the kind one can build from. Regardless of your 2024 narrative, there’s a way to find footing and advance with confidence into the new year. While the steps are unique depending on the person and situation, there exists a holy outline from which we can corporately adhere; hence, why I’m sparing no time (and expense) in publishing this post. 😊

As always, let’s plug our nose and dive in…

1. Invite God Into Your Midst

If you’re a regular on here, you know Lys and I love this topic.

Grow ⬆️ Up: A Call for Us in 2024 (Part 1)

Full Runnings: A Guide on Referencing God (Part 1)

Before we can start working on our inner man, we must first connect with God, humbly and often. While ‘come as you are’, a popular phrase in Christian circles, isn’t expressed verbatim in Scripture, the Word is clear how God desires us to invite Him into our brokenness. Interestingly, we find support in both testaments. In Isaiah 1:18, God invites people to come to Him, even if their sins are like scarlet. In Joel 2:32, the prophet declares deliverance to those who call upon the name of the Lord despite the chaos in context. In both instances, God not only offers His availability to engage, but His intention to heal, purify, and restore.

Regarding application, we must understand God accepts us ahead of our clean up, not just after. While some gospels preach doctrines of “progress downpayment” in which God requires a degree of level-reaching, when we consider how Jesus prepared and troubleshot during His ministry, we find His love, compassion, and grace was in the moment as well as beyond it. During these times, Jesus always brought salvation to the immediate while encouraging whom He saved to leave their baggage behind and follow Him¹ . To me, this is an inspiring facet of Christ’s presence with people and should be embraced as a model to the believer.

For starters, Jesus never forced theology and mission upon His audience but rather received them with a tender heart, a firm charge, and in some cases, hands on ministry. Secondly, Jesus anticipated forgiveness and reconciliation wherever He went. Even if it didn’t happen right away, His desire to plant hope in people was crucial to His love being felt along with His call to release the past. Accordingly, if anyone wants to experience radical change, we must see Jesus as foundation and cornerstone to whatever endeavor we launch or sustain in 2025.

As for those who hesitate to invite God in regularly on account of prior acceptance, I employ you to daily act in accordance with the grace you’ve received and not undermine it for personal gain. As Hebrews 10:22 confirms, only God can give His children the full assurance of faith while cleansing them from sin. Though the point of salvation is an eternally significant mile-marker, there is no sense in forsaking conviction and tolerating strongholds if what we allegedly confess peaks to the contrary.

Bottom line: If we desire to see God’s ways be made straight in our lives, if we want to encounter the totality of His peace and joy² without reducing them as ends from a mean, then invite God into your midst, the unknowns, and the fragility of your circumstances, and watch what He will do.

2. Request a Divine Reset

Once you’ve invited God into your brokenness, submitting applications in prayer is generally the next step. But in the case of a new year, whether you’re looking to jumpstart faith or grow deeper with God, dare to request a divine reset. In Isaiah 43:18-21, God gives an illustration of a divine reset by telling the Israelites He will do something new like they’ve never seen before. After imparting them not to remember the former things in v. 18, we find the new thing one verse later:

“I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

Using a relatable word picture, God previews His power made manifest; however, it’s important to note the sequence here doesn’t end with a supernatural display but a subsequent call for the people He makes a way for to declare His praise (v. 21). Thus, when we request a reset, we must see the endgame as more than our breakthrough but also an avenue to discover God make known His goodness tot he world. Remember God is not some wishful genie on standby but the author of our redemption and source of our sustenance. Though resets and renewals come in all shapes and sizes, the key is to understand the reason is Him shining at the center of whatever growth we aspire to see.

Bottom line: When requesting a divine reset, don’t just ask for it to cover past mistakes, but expect it in the spirit of obliterating obstacles standing between you and God. Sometimes, the reason we find ourselves stuck is because we aren’t in the practice of speaking truth to every lie and fear we face. Eventually, we find ourselves in the mire wondering how we got stymied in the first place. Though setbacks are inevitable, when we cry out for rescue or redemption, may we see with fresh eyes the sovereignty of God straightening His ways while also removing the clutter hindering our awareness of His presence and power. Again, God has a plan and purpose for you. Even if 2025 is an extension of a desert or wilderness season, He is more than enough to meet you as an oasis any time, any place.

Selah.

Stay tuned next time when I’ll share my final two points on how we can refresh with God heading in the new year. Until then, stay safe, classy, and blessed in all you say and do.

Footnotes

Laying down our weights in exchange for our cross (Matthew 16:24-26) is how we position God’s paths to be made straight in our lives. This can’t be strived for in our own strength.
Diving in deeper, Paul is clear in his letters how God governs us through peace and motivates us through joy. When we see what God wants to do, when we catch His purposes (and focus less on what our purpose is), the Lord promises there will be joy in the process. This doesn’t negate the challenges we walk through but ensures there will be glory amidst the endurance and perseverance.

Photo creds: Unsplash, iStock

In my last post, we discussed the biblical definition of growing up and laid out a generic pathway for reference. Today, I want to set another layer and explain some practical ways we can do this corporately in 2024.

No question, there is much in terms of chaos in our nation and world today. As my January fast reminded me, not only has this decade been culturally frustrating and concerning, but it has exposed the neutrality of many believers who are struggling to process the rapid decay around them. While I understand the tendency to want to look away, the truth is we must stand firm and strong together which cannot happen without awareness, intentionality, and as Steve Berger says, “compaction” (blending compassion and action).

How we do this from our respective offices around the globe? I’m so glad you asked! Without further ado, here are a few practical solutions we can take to mature in our vertical reliance in 2024…

Return to ancient pathways.

This first point may seem basic enough but I believe if we are to decrease appropriately as God increases in our midst, we must return to ancient pathways, specifically in honoring the name of God, the time we invest in His Word, and the Sabbath Day. As we progress in this era of media and technological saturation, one cannot combat the grey without acknowledging its existence, the grey being the small, sometimes subconscious ways society compels us to devalue our faith, spiritual identity, and God’s presence through copings and stimulations. Frankly, if we want to grow up individually and collectively in 2024, embracing holy fear is not an option. As the dark gets darker, so must we love what God loves and hate what He hates all the more. While some may label you as Pharisaical, dare to surrender the anxiety as one of the flesh. After all, the world needs to see absolutes be true to their name and for all who confess and profess the name of Jesus to be anchored, even as persecutions and prejudices elevate from third-world countries to just down the hallway.

If you’re reading this as an employed Christian, I encourage you to inspect any place where you’ve taken your “faith foot” off the gas pedal. As you seek the Lord, don’t hesitate to examine where you may be compartmentalizing your confidence, even character in your quest to model life and light before all men. From there, take inventory of the bushels, refill your internal salt cellars, and watch what God will do as you embrace surrender and thanksgiving in tandem.

Model grace and perspective.

As I’ve stepped into a healthier work environment this year, I’ve been compelled to learn new skills while sharpening older ones. Along the way, I’ve been reminded how powerful perspective can be when observing and interpreting our surroundings, heartbreaks, and challenges. For instance, in years past, I sometimes fell short looking for my settings to make sense, affirm an emotional conviction, and/or be the primary means to personal development and growth; however, as I now understand, these habits, when left to selfish devices, can lead to inflated expectations and disappointments. Having taken inventory of my discouragements last month, the light bulb ultimately activated: For many, their willpower and/or lust for affirmation is the center of whatever change they hope to initiate. In Christian circles, we sometimes see this by those who subscribe to ‘name it and claim it’ theology, prosperity Gospels, and warped Golden Rule principles.

Yet, when we examine the Gospel of John, we find a different reality:

Apart from Christ, we cannot mature as new creations or represent Him in our aim to change the world, one positive inspiration at a time.

Why? Because if God isn’t the focal point, the true epicenter of our lives, there’s no hope of us seeing ourselves and our world correctly. Put another way…

Just as God is love, so must He be our perspective, especially if we desire to walk in fullness between the grace we give and the grace we receive.
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Applied to our work, to hit the mark of Christ, we must be willing to walk patiently and deliberately with people as they learn and grow in their roles. If expectations aren’t defined, don’t just define them but expand the tent pegs of grace as you help establish them. In any season, growing pains and audibles are inevitable. Rather than avoid them, steer into the sting and sow perspective in Spirit and Truth (John 4:24) as peace-making conduits of grace. For we are called, my friends, to build our careers upon life, not the other way around.

Lead as a servant.

In today’s marketplace, many want to lead by results and metrics. To make an impact, to leave a legacy, one must pioneer new pathways to achieve greater attention especially in more competitive landscapes, at least so we think; however, when we look at John 13:1-17, we find an alternative approach demonstrated by Jesus who humbles Himself, washes His disciples’ feet, and sets the ultimate example for servant leadership. Growing up, I used to think this chapter solely previewed the Cross and Great Commission to come. Yet, as a working adult, I now understand the present ramification as servant leadership, a corporate call where we wash our teammates’ feet (with or without the shoe removal 😉) and champion our God given authority as Kingdom ambassadors within our spheres of influence.

Now, to confirm, servant leadership is a broad term and encompasses a wide spectrum of potential actions. That said, the moves we make can be as practical as they are profound. Whenever an opportunity intersects your doubt, consider asking a teammate how you can better support them. If ‘hands on’ in the way to go, then go out of your way to tackle a task either of you can handle as the situation merits. And if you’re really stumped, simply read the room, engage with genuine curiosity, and pray for guidance and peace to illuminate your steps. Who knows? Before long, you may be sharing your testimony over coffee as the Gospel becomes alive during the conversation.

Bottom line: When you serve as a leader, you preserve faithful stewardship and your commitment to sowing trust with whom and with what you put your hands to.

Of course, these points are only a handful of options we can take to grow up in our workplaces in 2024. For those looking to take more leaps in the months ahead, what are some other aims we can consider as we live as Christ and awaken the Gospel through spiritual and vocation effort alike? Feel free to share your comments below.

Otherwise, stay tuned next time when we’ll explore how we can serve one another through our co-worker in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:9) calling! Catch you guys on the Fry…