Welcome to 2018! A new year begins, and with it the sense of a fresh start… beginning over. It is a time for resolve. I have been told that in the month of January over 133 million Americans will make New Year’s resolutions. Yet less than 10% of us will keep them.

Have I discouraged you? I hope not. After all, if resolutions were easy we wouldn’t have to make them in the first place! We would have achieved our aims long ago. No. When we make resolutions we gird ourselves up to go where we have never gone before. Resolutions are special because they take us to new heights. It is small wonder that resolutions often fail. If 133 million Americans were making their resolutions and were achieving 100% success, I would assume that we weren’t aiming very high. Wouldn’t you?

Resolution is hard. It is the nature of the beast. Failure often attends it. But that is no reason not to try. Better to have resolutions and to fail than to have no resolutions at all.

Will you resolve this year to recommit yourself in your walk with God? To take your spiritual walk to another level? … Whatever that means for you.

Our theme for this Year is “Renew.” Paul tells us that we have Christ in our hearts and, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16.

The Christian life is all about constant renewal. The great thing is that we don’t do it alone. We have the Spirit living in us. We have fellow believers around us. Are you ready for renewal? Well then, listen to this,

24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. – Hebrews 10:24-25