It’s that time of year again — time to make the infamous, well-intended, and often short-lived New Year’s resolutions. Funny — if you are like me, you notice a pattern. This year’s list looks crazily similar to last year’s. In fact, it looks a lot like the last several years’.

• Lose 20 pounds.
• Start exercising.
• Eat better.
• Get organized.
• Accomplish more.
• Be a better ______.

And, on and on it goes.

What if this year were different?

What if this year, instead of making the same list of hopeful resolutions, you could identify some goals that would radically change your year? What if your resolve resulted in 2020 being your best year yet? And, what if they weren’t pie in the sky goals, but instead were found in God’s Word? Would you be interested? Wouldn’t that be an endeavor worth committing to?

Good news! Those really do exist.

Some Things Never Change.

Today, we tend to look for joy and happiness in circumstances, believing that an absence of true joy or lasting happiness can be remedied by a change in our circumstances. A better job, more money, the right relationship, better health — surely those will bring the happiness we seek. So, we resolve to achieve those things. That just makes sense, doesn’t it? The problem is joy is not found in circumstances, whether good or bad. It never was.

That thought process isn’t anything new, though. In fact, it’s as old as people. In Philippians, Paul writes to the believers in Philippi, telling them what will result in true joy. In chapter 3, he tells them the actual process, the steps that he himself is following to exist in peace, contentment, and joy that supersedes even the most discouraging of circumstances.

So, if that sounds like what you need, here it is.

5 Ways to Make 2020 the Best Year Yet!

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You are where you are. There is no shame in that. It’s just a fact. Maybe it’s not where you hoped you’d be. Maybe it doesn’t appear to be as far along as others. But, the truth is you are where you are. Paul says, in Philippians 3:13 “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet…” Imagine that! Paul, the great apostle, the one who started the church in Philippi, says, “I’m not there yet. I’ve got work to do.”

Our starting place is the same. We take an objective look, lay the cards out on the table, and admit — “Here I am. This is where I’m at.” Only then can we truly move forward.

Be honest about where you are.

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We run hard. We are busy — ridiculously busy. Truthfully, our culture pushes busyness, actually equating it with being valuable. You are needed and you are necessary if you are busy, and the busier you are, the more needed and necessary you are. The reality is, however, busy does not mean productive. It probably means the opposite. As Paul continues, he says, “but one thing I do…” (v. 13). Be sure and take note, Paul brings it down to one thing. Not five things. Not even two things. Paul zeros in on one thing. For us to see success in the coming year, we should follow his lead. Instead of loading up on goals and resolutions, we should be dialing in on what truly matters.

Be radically single-minded.

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Runners who look behind them lose pace. Drivers who look behind them get distracted. For us to succeed in 2020, we are going to have to leave the past where it resides. The hurts and even the successes of the past have no impact on the possibilities of the future. We learn from them. We become stronger because of them. They do shape us, but eventually, we have to set them down and move forward. It would be like a traveler who picks up additional baggage on every leg of the journey — eventually the luggage would become so heavy, so burdensome the trip stalls out. Paul tells the Philippian believers that he “forget[s] what lies behind.” The Greek word literally means “is no longer mindful of.” It means he puts it out of his mind, and he is deliberate in doing so. It’s not that time erases or the memories start to fade. Paul puts them out of his mind. For us, with all the potential and possibility that lies ahead, we have to lighten our loads.

Leave the past where it belongs — in the past!

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With the weight of the past behind him, Paul then says he reaches for what lies ahead. This is the key to the entire thing. Everything we do, everything we do not do, even how we think is all prioritized by what lies ahead. For believers, that is eternity! Get that — we are driven by what is eternal. How we live is shaped by eternity. How we raise our kids is shaped by eternity. What we take on and what we let go is shaped by eternity. What we deem important and what we call a waste of time is not determined by the culture, it is decided by what is eternal.

Everything we do, everything we do not do, even how we think is all prioritized by what lies ahead. For believers, that is eternity! Share on X

By seeking and striving for the eternal, we find purpose and meaning in life. By serving God’s purpose, we arrive at contentment and finally find true joy. Our circumstances, great or terrible, are now held up to and evaluated by God’s standard of eternity. With this vantage point, we can not only survive, we thrive. We have a reason to jump out of bed, ready for the day. Come what may, eternity awaits! We can serve an eternal purpose! Wow!

Change your perspective.

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What makes the difference between resolutions made and resolutions kept, between goals that are set and goals that are achieved? The answer is not the quality of the goal or possessing the good intent of seeing it through. The answer is in actually walking it out. The bottom line? Results follow work. Always.

Paul, in verse 14, says that he “[presses] on toward the goal.” Pressing on carries the meaning of striving, straining, or leaning into the goal. Plainly, he works hard for its accomplishment. Our Christian walks, with the goal of glorifying Christ by serving His eternal cause, require effort. Not just any effort. They require a consistent, committed effort. Paul knew that the eternal was before him and that the cause would require him to “press on.” What had happened in the past wasn’t enough. For us, yesterday’s Bible studies, yesterday’s acts of obedience, yesterday’s commitments are not enough. Today, we must also press on, renewed in our commitment. Be sure — He is worthy!

Press on.

“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:13-14

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Friends, may this pattern given by God and now empowered by God result in the greatest year yet, not just for us, but for the glory of our Savior Jesus. In the year 2020, all glory be to Christ! He is worthy!