As 2009 draws to a close, many of us are no doubt going through that annual rite of passage of coming up with our New Years Resolutions. I don’t know about you, but personally, I am horrible about keeping resolutions. I have great intentions each year, and tend to do pretty well for the first few days, and then the old will power dies and the resolution is thrown out with yesterday’s trash!

I think part of the problem is in previous years I focused on things that I really didn’t want to change! I knew I needed to, mostly for my health or professional growth, but my motivation was amiss. Doing something for the wrong reason’s will generally lead to failure.

Having said that, my resolution this year is not about physical or professional goals, but spiritual one’s. I want to draw closer to God, and serve Him better than I ever have before! In a nut shell, that’s my one and only resolution for 2010. And I am hoping that everyone that happens to read this will join me in that goal!

Think about the impact that this could have in our lives. If we are truly striving to serve Him above everything else, then many of the “problems” that we face day in and day out will not seem so insurmountable. This doesn’t mean that they will just go away, don’t get me wrong. We’ll continue to have challenges, that’s just part of life! But if our mind is set on the things above, and that is where our focus is at, we’ll see these challenges in a completely different light. Rather than being some daunting or horrible obstacle, we’ll begin to see them as opportunities for growth, as opportunities to remain faithful to God, no matter what!

You may be saying “sounds great, but how?”. There’s many ways I’m sure, but for me personally it’s going to involve more time in studying my Bible and prayer. That’s how I connect with God the best, and I would dare say that would hold true for any of us. The more time we spend communicating with God, either through bible study or prayer, the more He is able to mold and shape us into the people that He wants us to be. I once heard someone say that God is a gentleman, and He will not force His way into our lives. He stands at the door and knocks softly, waiting for us to invite Him to take His proper place as the priority in our lives. The really exciting thing is once He is given that place in our lives, He’s able to being working in ways we never before imagined possible!

So my challenge, to myself as well as you, is let’s make 2010 a Spiritual New Year! Let’s commit to taking our devotion and service to Him to a brand new level! Let’s open that door and allow God to take His proper place in our lives. When we do, great and wonderful things will happen!