Ten Questions for the Start of a New Year

Every year, during the week between Christmas and New Year, I use Don Whitney's "10 Questions" (actually 31 questions) to help me evaluate the past year and look forward with resolve to the next year.

Spend some time with these questions this week.

Reflections on Reading in 2009

At the beginning of 2009, I set a goal of reading 50 books in a year. So, I kept track of my reading. I'm glad to say that by the grace of God, I read 50 whole books this year. The last book I finished was the Bible (does that not count as 66 books?).

Actually, I read a whole lot more than just 50 books. I also read parts of commentaries on John, 1 John, Daniel, James, Micah, and a lot of Spurgeon sermons. And, I read blogs, websites, newspapers, and countless books to my kids (not as many as my wife though).

Surprisingly, I don't feel like I have read very much this year. There were many times I didn't feel like reading. I am grieved by how much time I have wasted this year. I am grieved by how little I retain from reading and how little I actually apply to my life. Don't be impressed by my reading. Be impressed by the guy who reads one book well and applies its truth to his life.

Readers, I hope I have served you in some small way this year by pointing you to God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated books. I hope to continue to do so.

Happy New Year!

Resolved:

Here are a few Biblical Commands I’m planning to give myself to this year (by the grace of God):

• Remember Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 2:8).
• Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly (Col. 3:16).
• Preach the Word (2 Tim. 4:2).
• Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture (1 Tim. 4:13).
• Devote yourself to prayer (Col. 4:2).
• Shepherd the flock of God (1 Peter 5:2).
• Love your wife as Christ loved the church (Eph. 5:25).

Read the Bible in 2010

Have you ever read the whole Bible? Why not? You could do it this year. Not as a means of earning favor with God (Christ secures that). But as an expression of your desire to know and enjoy Christ more.

If you need a plan, here is The Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan.

Books I Picked Out for My Wife to Read in 2010

My wife is the most amazing woman on the planet. She serves me faithfully and does a fantastic job pointing our kids to Christ.
One of my favorite things about my wife is that she likes to read. Last year, I picked out 5 books for her to devote herself to reading during the year. It was a joy to see her reading each one and asking her what she was learning.

So I have done the same this year. Here are the 5 books I lovingly picked out for Jeanna to read in 2010 (3 of them made my top 5 books of 2009).

1. Knowing God by JI Packer
2. The Bookends of the Christian Life by Jerry Bridges
3. Gospel-Powered Parenting by William Farley
4. Adopted for Life by Russell Moore
5. Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ by John Piper

Believing the Gospel at the end of 2009

Can you believe that we are about to enter the year 2010? Can you believe it's already been 10 years since the year 2000? It seems like that was just yesterday.

The turning of the calendar to a new year provides us with an opportunity to evaluate our lives. This week is certainly an opportunity to look forward to all that God is going to do in our lives through this next year. Who knows, maybe 2010 will be the year that some of us see Jesus face-to-face. Or, maybe this is the year that Jesus returns and we ALL see Him face-to-face. Oh, I hope so.

We certainly should be looking forward with eager anticipation that the Lord is going to work in our lives this next year. But, there is something else that the end of a year should produce in us.

When you come to the end of a year, there should be a deep sense of remorse and guilt. We are sinners and we have fallen short in thousands of ways this year. For just a moment, think about how much you have dishonored your God this past year. Think of all the times you have chosen your own reputation over obeying God’s Word. Think of all the things we have been commanded to do that we have not done this year. If you can, mentally picture your selfishness this year piled up like a mountain. If you could do that, how big would your pile of selfishness be?

Or, what if you had to add up all the time you wasted this year? How many days, weeks, months were squandered on trivial things?

What if just your sins of thought and attitude in 2009 were listed up here on a big screen for everyone to see? How long would your list be? I know it would take a year to scroll through all of the grumbling, complaining, impatience, pride, and fear in my heart from this past year.

This is a painful exercise, isn’t it? If we are honest with ourselves, 2009 has involved more sin than it has righteousness.

And, the change of the calendar from 2009 to 2010 does not atone for our sin. Our sin is not wiped away because we purchased a new calendar. And, resolving to do better next year will not make up for failing this year. Friends, even if you lived a perfect life from this day forward, you would still have that mountain of selfishness in your account.

Which is why, here at the end of 2009, we need to be reminded of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have failed to honor God as we should in 2009 and we will fail to honor God as we should in 2010. Thus, we need a Savior. We don’t need the perfect New Year’s Resolution to finally commend us to God. We need a Savior to bear our sins and give us His very own righteousness. More than ever, we need Jesus Christ.

Challenge 2010

What will you do in 2010 that will make the most significant spiritual impact in your life? What will you do this year that will contribute most to your personal growth in godliness?

This I know: if you don’t plan to grow in godliness this year, you won’t. Godliness doesn’t just happen. Cultivating Christ-likeness requires discipline and time.

Don’t waste this year. By the grace of God, go hard after holiness this year. Of all the things you are going to pursue this year, make the pursuit of maturity in Christ your primary goal.

So, how are you going to position yourself to increase your enjoyment of God this year?

There are lots of ways to lay ourselves in the path of godliness. However, I want to challenge you in one particular way. I want to challenge you to do something this year that will make the most impact in the most areas of your Christian life.

Based on Colossians 3:16, I want to challenge you to let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in 2010.

Among the many ways to grow in godliness in the Christian life, none are more helpful than saturating ourselves in the Bible. In Donald Whitney’s excellent book on the Spiritual Disciplines, he writes, “No spiritual discipline is more important than the intake of God’s Word.”

George Muller said, “The vigor of our spiritual life will be in exact proportion to the place held by the Bible in our life and thoughts.”

Grow in godliness this year (this decade) by devoting yourself to letting the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.

Colossians 3:16: "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly."

Here are 5 observations on these 9 words from the sermon Sunday:
1. This is a command.
2. This is a command directed at those who desire to center their lives on Christ (context).
3. This is a command to do something with the Word of Christ.
4. This is a command to let the Word of Christ dwell in us.
5. This is a command to let the Word of Christ dwell in us RICHLY.

Treasuring Christ in 2009

Here are some of the ways, by God's grace, I'm seeking to position myself to increase my enjoyment of Christ in 2009. Some of these are simply re-commitments and others are new commitments.

1. With God's help, I'm going to preach the gospel to myself every day.
2. With God's help, I'm going to memorize John 15:9-17, Isaiah 53, and James 1 this year (along with my church family).
3. With God's help, I'm going to use the Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan to read through the Bible this year.
4. With God's help, I'm going to take more regular notes as I read through the Scripture each day.
5. With God's help, I'm giving up Dr. Pepper as a regular part of my diet.
6. With God's help, I'm going to exercise regularly (got an exercise bike for Christmas!).
7. With God's help, I'm going to lead regular family devotions.
8. With God's help, I'm going to read some good books this year.

How are you going to increase your enjoyment of Christ this year, by God's grace?

How Can I Do Better by God's Grace?

Jonathan Edwards' 41st Resolution:

"Resolved, to ask myself at the end of every day, week, month and year, wherein I could possibly in any respect have done better."

This is a Helpful Book!

Steve Lawson's The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards is a helpful little book. I highly recommend it for any Christian. It is especially helpful to read at the beginning of the year to refocus on what really matters.




Lawson organizes Edwards' 70 Resolutions around 6 main themes:

• Pursuing the Glory of God.
• Forsaking Sin.
• Making Proper Use of God-Allotted Time.
• Living with All His Being for the Lord.
• Pursuing Humility and Love.
• Making Frequent Self-Examination.

If I had read this book before I posted my top 15 books of 2008, I would have ranked it around 4th or 5th.

Just in Time for New Year

I've been waiting for this book for over a year.

The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards is Steve Lawson's second book in his Long Line of Godly Men profiles.

His first book, The Expository Genius of John Calvin was life-changing.

This one looks at Jonathan Edwards through his famous resolutions.

Challenge 2008: Delight in God's Word

This morning, I challenged Christ Baptist Church to be a church that delights in God's Word in 2008. Our text was Psalm 1 and we noticed 3 very simple aspects of the blessed person:

1. The blessed person rejects the ways of the world (v. 1).
2. The blessed person delights in God's Word (v. 2).
3. The blessed person experiences amazing benefits (v. 3).
-Fruitfulness

-Stability

-Prosperity

One of the practical expressions of this challenge is that we are going to continue our Scripture Memory program. In 2008, we are going to memorize Psalm 96, John 14, and the first few verses of John 15 (with God's help).

Questions for you:

-What are you planning to memorize this year?
-In what way are you planning to read the Bible this year?
-In what other ways can we express and cultivate our delight in God's Word this year?

10 Questions for The New Year

10 Questions to Ask Yourself at the Start of the New Year:

(Most of these are from Donald Whitney's site: spiritualdisciplines.org)

1. What is one thing I could do this year to increase my enjoyment of God?
2. What is the most humanly impossible thing I will ask God to do this year?
3. In which spiritual discipline do I most want to make progress in this year, and what will I do about it?
4. What is the single biggest time-waster in my life, and how will I change to make the most of my time?
5. What can I do this year to strengthen my church?
6. For whose salvation will I pray most fervently for this year?
7. What one thing could I do to improve my prayer life this year?
8. What thing that I plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? In eternity?
9. What sin do I want to avoid this year, and what steps will I take to avoid it?
10. How can I be a better husband/wife/father/mother/son/daughter this year?

BONUS Question: What person(s) do I need to share my answers to these questions with in order to keep me accountable?

10 Questions For The New Year

10 Questions to Ask Yourself at the Start of the New Year

(Most of these are from Donald Whitney's site: spiritualdisciplines.org)

1. What is one thing I could do this year to increase my enjoyment of God?

2. What is the most humanly impossible thing I will ask God to do this year?

3. In which spiritual discipline do I most want to make progress in this year, and what will I do about it?

4. What is the single biggest time-waster in my life, and how will I change to make the most of my time?

5. What can I do this year to strengthen my church?

6. For whose salvation will I pray most fervently for this year?

7. What one thing could I do to improve my prayer life this year?

8. What thing that I plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? In eternity?

9. What sin do I want to avoid this year, and what steps will I take to avoid it?

10. How can I be a better husband/wife/father/mother/son/daughter this year?

BONUS Question: What person(s) do I need to share my answers to these questions with in order to keep me accountable?

My Favorite Week of the Year

Over the past couple of years I have decided that the week between Christmas and January 1 is my favorite week. There is just something about this week that invigorates me. Here are some of the reasons why:

1. The chance to look back on the year and thank God for His many mercies.
2. The chance to look ahead and make some fresh committments and adjustments to my life. I am still old school and think New Year's resolutions are good and healthy.
3. The slow pace. Unless you work in the retail business, this has to be the slowest week of the year. No one is in a hurry to do anything. Many people are off work visiting with family. Others are taking down Christmas decorations.
4. The leftovers!