Exercise daily and eat healthy.
-Make better grades.
-Manage my resources more carefully.
-Shed the extra pounds I’ve gained.
-Spend more time with family and friends.
-Get my home and work place more organized.
-Learn something new.
-Get out of debt.
-Learn something new.

These are some common New Year's resolutions we hear.
Chances are you will be making similar goals for your life this week.
Hopefully your list will include spiritual goals as well, such as:

-Having a more consistent daily quiet time
-Spending more time in prayer
-Reading through the Bible on my own
-Participating in Bible study and worship at church more consistently
-putting the needs of others before my own
-or memorizing the entire New Testament!

What about our student ministry?
How can we be more faithful in 2011?

-Could we help students build stronger relationships with friends – family – God?
-Could we help students get more excited about growing in their faith?
-Could we do a better job of serving— rake leaves, feed the homeless, serve the community more actively?
-Could we be more focused on evangelism?
-Could we be more intentional about communicating the gospel with our words as well as our actions?

(form an article I read this morning while pondering..)
Many Christians make New Year’s resolutions to pray more, to read the Bible every day, and to attend church more regularly. These are fantastic goals. However, these New Year’s resolutions fail just as often as the non-spiritual resolutions, because there is no power in a New Year’s resolution. Resolving to start or stop doing a certain activity has no value unless you have the proper motivation for stopping or starting that activity. For example, why do you want to read the Bible every day? Is it to honor God and grow spiritually, or is it because you have just heard that it is a good thing to do? Why do you want to lose weight? Is it to honor God with your body, or is it for vanity, to honor yourself?

Philippians 4:13 tells us, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” John 15:5 declares, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” If God is the center of your New Year’s resolution, it has chance for success, depending on your commitment to it. If it is God’s will for something to be fulfilled, He will enable you to fulfill it. If a resolution is not God honoring and/or is not in agreement in God’s Word, we will not receive God’s help in fulfilling the resolution.

So, what sort of New Year’s resolution should a Christian make? Here are some suggestions:
(1) Pray to the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) in regards to what resolutions, if any, He would have you make; (2) Pray for wisdom as to how to fulfill the goals God gives you; (3) Rely on God’s strength to help you; (4) Find an accountability partner who will help you and encourage you; (5) Don’t become discouraged with occasional failures; instead allow them to motivate you further; (6) Don’t become proud or vain, but give God the glory. Psalm 37:5-6, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”

As you come to the end of 2010 and look forward to 2011 – ponder these thoughts!
Spend some moments asking God for wisdom to determine His goals for your own life and ministry in 2011!
Ask God for wisdom and a renewed vision for our ministry together – for renewed energy and direction for our ministry to students in 2011!

Praying for you!
Thank you for allowing me to serve with you!
Your partner in ministry! - Joe