The one reliable resolution

New Year brings a flurry of talk about resolutions – the pounds we’ll drop, the exercise we’ll embrace and the hobbies we’ll master. Without fail, the turning of the calendar gives us an impetus to try again. It’s a collective opportunity for a fresh start, a clean slate.

Why do we love the idea of a ‘do over’? Because we all long to do better, to be better. Despite our failed attempts and unfulfilled longings we keep trying because we were made for something more. As C.S. Lewis surmised, ‘If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.’

One day we will experience the ultimate fresh start. The new heavens and new earth will be unimaginably new: ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain’ (Rev. 21:4). In the New Jerusalem, our new home, we will enjoy the presence of God for ever. Never again will we need to wipe the slate clean or turn over a new leaf – we will be fully and finally redeemed, all God’s promises and purposes will be fulfilled and we will be satisfied and reign with Him forever.

But what do we do in the meantime?

We encourage ourselves by remembering that our new life has already started: ‘If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!’ (2 Cor. 5:17). God has given us ‘new birth into a living hope’ (1 Peter 1:3) and we are now serving in the ‘new way of the Spirit’ (Rom.7:6). Each day our new self ‘is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator’ (Col. 3:10). ‘Though I am not what I ought to be, nor what I wish to be, nor what I hope to be, I can truly say, I am not what I once was…By the grace of God, I am what I am!’ (John Newton). God’s Spirit is at work in us – a glimpse as well as a promise of the new life to come.

Remember, but also rejoice. Each new day offers a fresh supply of God’s mercy, grace and forgiveness – a preview of that final day when Jesus will sit on His throne and cry: ‘I am making everything new!’ (Rev. 21:5). We can join with the author of Lamentations in saying:

But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness
(Lam. 3:21-23)

‘One of the stunning realities of the Christian life is that, in a world where everything is in some state of decay, God’s mercies never grow old. They never run out. They never are ill timed. They never dry up. They never grow weak. They never get weary. They never fail to meet the need. They never disappoint. They never, ever fail, because they really are new every morning’ (Paul David Tripp, New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional ).

God knows your unique circumstances and what troubles you are facing and His mercies each day are tailor-made for your needs. Even if all your other New Year’s resolutions fall by the wayside, make sure you keep this one: to rely on God’s mercy. Rely on God’s fresh supply of mercy each day as you battle temptation, deal with anxiety, look after a loved one, raise your children, and cope with suffering. God’s mercy will never run out, but one day, when we take our place in the new heavens and new earth, we will no longer need it – that truly will be a glorious new day!