Starting the year with faithfulness involves remembering God’s faithfulness to us. He is constant and good. “You, Lord are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,” Psalm 86:15, NIV. We may fail or fall back, but God is merciful to remain faithful to us because of his abounding love and favor toward us.
Focus on Living Faithfully in the New Year
Faithfulness helps us endure hardships, serve others, and say “yes” to God every day. In 1 Corinthians 4:2, the apostle Paul tells us, “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” Our life is a gift from God to steward for him, whether we live small lives or big lives, have a resume of successes or attempts, or run the race as a sprinter or a marathoner, we can choose faithfulness in the present season for his glory.
Jesus tells a parable in Matthew 25 about three servants who were given a sum of money called a talent. One received five units of money, another two, and the other received one. Two of the servants took their amount and put it to good use. One of them kept their talent safe, but didn’t do anything with it. The master of the three servants entrusted his resources with them and then went away. When he returned, the servants presented an accounting of their faithfulness. Two of them doubled the amount given to them, while the other one returned the original amount to the master.
Cultivate Faithfulness in Your Current Season
Let’s prove ourselves faithful with what God has entrusted to us. Reaching for faithfulness over resolutions means we focus on our current season. This allows a deepening in our relationship with God where we allow him to work through us. God values consistency, dedication, and a heart of faithfulness.
Many of us feel pressure to make ambitious resolutions at the start of the year, but for some of us God calls us to faithfulness in our current season. He may be leading us to stay the course rather than make big changes. This can be difficult to do when everyone around us starts something “new,” while we stay with the “old.”
God calls each of us to different journeys, but different doesn’t mean diminished. We can start the new year with confidence knowing God has us right where he wants us rather than where we want to go. Society may push us to do more and be more, but God is the one who directs our steps. Proverbs 16:9 tells us “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” This year can be the year of allowing God to lead us to something new or to remain steadfast in the old. Faithfulness brings clarity and wisdom.
We may feel like our life is small, but God doesn’t say wait for big events to demonstrate faithfulness. When we are faithful in the little, he will open more doors. Matthew 25:21 reminds us, “The master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
Start the New Year with Faithfulness
Here are three ideas to start the year with faithfulness:
- Look at your current season and ask God where you can grow in faithfulness.
- Choose to take what he’s given you and steward it well.
- Dwell on God’s faithfulness to you.
Your New Year may look different than you intended, but you can be assured of God’s statement, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” when pursue faithfulness.
We’d love to hear in the comments below what faithfulness means to you, and in what area God is calling you to be faithful!
For more on choosing faithfulness over resolutions, listen to this week’s podcast, Faithfulness Over Resolutions: Embracing God’s Path for You Right Now – Episode 299.
Start your year with purpose by focusing on faithfulness! Jessica Van Roekel shares 3 practical ways to grow spiritually and steward what God has given you. Share on X Feeling pressure to make big resolutions? Start the year by focusing on faithfulness in your current season. Jessica Van Roekel shares 3 actionable ideas to begin today! Share on X
