As you enter the New Year what kind of life do you want to live?

John Rohn wrote this:

Let others lead small lives, but not you.
Let others argue over small things, but not you.
Let others cry over small hurts, but not you.
Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not you.

The Apostle Paul, driven by God’s Spirit, said, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is– his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1-2).

Paul knew avoiding a small life demands making the right kind of commitments to God and keeping them one day, one month and one year at a time. That’s why every January 1st I renew my commitment to the Lord. I evaluate the previous year and set goals for the new one. I encourage you to take some time over the next few days and consider where your life is headed. Make commitments which will enable you to live a big life in the middle of God’s will throughout 2017.

Here are four daily commitments I’ll be making:

1. Time in God’s Word. For the last five years I’ve read through the four Gospels every month. It takes ten minutes a day and exposes me to Jesus in fresh ways.
2. Time in prayer.
3. Affirm my family and bless those I encounter.
4. Maintain purity.

Of course, these disciplines don’t make us grow. God does! But they create a setting in our hearts where God’s grace will transform us throughout 2017.

If you’d like to join me in reading through the Gospels every month, I’d urge you to buy a copy of The Jesus Story. This blending of the four Gospels doesn’t take away anything from the story except repetition. Plus, it reads like a novel. The Jesus Story