This Year, Resolve to Be Godly

by Allen Reynolds

This time of year, often brings to mind idyllic holiday scenes of happiness and joy in celebration of the holiday season. We think of families gathering around a tree on Christmas morning, with kids waiting in wonder and delight to open their presents. Snow softly falling as holiday shoppers’ flit from one store to another, soaking in the sights and sounds, content to spend their hard earned money and Christmas bonuses on items that will light up their loved one’s lives. Yet, just as quickly as the New Year tends to roll around, a far different reality rushes to the forefront.

Far from the picturesque scenes we imagine, Christmas and its aftermath can often feel like a time of chaos, anger, and discontent. Kids have come to expect more and give less, putting parents in the unenviable position of worrying whether they can deliver for them. Thereby grandparents are left wondering, what happened to the good ol’ days? To our seniors, Christmas and the New Year were once times of good cheer, where families sought to be together. The longer our society seems to value things over people though, the more those idealized scenes will fade away. Especially since our culture has become ever more decadent over time. Is it too late then to regain what has been lost? From a Christian’s perspective, the answer is only if we stop our pursuit of godliness.

One’s pursuit may become hampered by the fact that after putting on Christ in baptism our lives do not magically become stress free. In fact, it could be argued that Satan works twice as hard to get us to slip back into our old habits of sin, thus compounding our problems. Despite this, Christians have been given an internal source of comfort as God makes His home with us and helps us to unload our burdens onto His most capable shoulders. So, when the world attempts to weigh you down with destructive vices like covetousness or insatiable greed, your loving Savior, Jesus, places a burden upon you which is far easier to hold up according to Matthew 11: 29 & 30. If therefore we do our part of willingly submitting to His Word and therefore His will, we figuratively take up His yoke, which keeps us stable enough to walk along the path that leads to eternal life.

Internally, if we are unloading our burdens onto God, through daily prayer, then the inner peace we receive from Him should naturally translate to our external conduct. When we live with appreciation in our hearts and praise on our lips for what our gracious Father has done and continues to do for us, people will pick up on that. As they notice a change in us, this will hopefully prompt them to ask a reason for the hope that is in us. But only if we live in reverent awareness of God’s impact on our lives and determine, to honor Him in all our conduct.

So, while your average shopper remains on the lookout for better deals that can give them an advantage over their peers as we enter this New Year, we as Christians can resolve to be godly. Thus, moving the needle back ever so slightly, to restore what has been lost by our society. Do your best then to internalize Paul’s words from 1 Timothy 6: 6, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.”