Lots of people set resolutions each new year. Resolutions cover every aspect of life from health, finances, career, and relationships. Behind all of these, and most importantly, is our spiritual lives. The beginning of a new year is an excellent time to begin to cultivate new practices to draw us closer to God.
In 2008 a former professor of mine published a book called “The Shape of Faith to Come.” In this book he published a research project where he interviewed 2500 regular church attenders from multiple denominations to determine their spiritual practices. A year later, he interviewed the same people to find quantitative reasons why they had either grown or declined spiritually. His findings concluded that the #1 practice that contributed to spiritual growth or decline was whether or not a person read his or her Bible daily. If a person reads the Bible every day, they will grow spiritually.
But, in addition to scientific research, the truth of this practice can be seen to be true in the lives of countless people who devote a portion of each day to bow before God and read his Word. So, at the start of 2012, if you desire to grow spiritually, make a resolution to read your Bible. Take 10 minutes each day and read a chapter and think about it. Do this, and see how different you are as a person when you are making your 2013 resolutions.
Gathering at church to hear the Bible in addition to reading your Bible will benefit you even more. Participating in a regular Bible Study will add to it. But, the difference is made in whether or not you will read your Bible on your own.
It really is Simple. Read your Bible. Pray. See what God does.
Filed under: Bible, Mission, Sermon, Teaching Tagged: Christian, Christianity, Faith, New Year's Resolution, New year's Sermon, Resolution, Simple, Simple Spiritual Resolutions, Spiritual Resolutions, The Christian Life, The Shape of Faith to Come
