Six Ways to Prioritize Loving God in the New Year
A devotional by Jessica Brodie
Have you started feeling that January slump?
As much as I love the idea of a new year—a fresh start, a clean new page in my calendar, and a slate of New Year’s resolutions to motivate me in the gray chill of winter—when Christmas is over, I usually can’t help it. My mood and my spirits naturally dip. I try to throw myself into work or a new exercise regimen, convinced they’ll snap me out of my funk, but that slump is inevitable.
Still, as the words to one of my favorite songs proclaims, I serve a God of both the highlands and the heartache—He’s with me in the highs and the lows, the mountains and the valleys, no matter what. (Take that, seasonal mood swings!)
That’s why this year, instead of making resolutions, I’m keeping things simple and focusing instead on prioritizing my relationship with God above all. That’s because I’ve learned that when my sights are fully centered on Him, everything else naturally shifts into place—my health goals, career goals, everything.
And I invite you to join me in this.
See, so many of us spend our lives fighting God in some way, even though we usually don’t have any idea we’re doing this. We put idols before him, whether that’s money or dreams and wants or loved ones. We refuse to let God be God and instead cling to the idea that we can control our lives.
But I’ve found that when I surrender to the Lord, simply focusing myself on getting in alignment with the plan He already has for me, I don’t have to work so hard. In fact, I don’t even have to know what that plan is—I just need to draw close to Him, and He shows me the way.
Here are six ways we can all draw closer to God in the New Year:
Way #1: Read the Bible
I’m already doing this, and maybe you are, too. I have a rule with myself that I’m not “allowed” to do anything on my phone—check email or texts, go on social media, nada—until I read my Bible chapter. I admit that even now, after about a decade of this, I don’t always understand what I’m reading. I just finished the Book of Ezekiel, and many mornings I closed my reading more confused than comforted. But reading the Bible isn’t about my personal comfort. It’s about me trying to get closer to the Lord, to tuck His words into my soul, to remain obedient and honor Him. Sometimes, people read the Bible once or twice all the way through and consider their task “done”. But daily Bible reading is more than an intellectual exercise. And committing to it is an act of love that helps us draw closer to God.
Way #2: Pray
Some people pray in bed, during their commute, or while they exercise. Some pray micro-prayers throughout their day, while others record prayer in a journal or the margins of their Bible. There’s no perfect way to pray. Last year, I experimented for a long time with the ACTS method of prayer—expressing adoration (A), confessing my shortcomings (C), offering thanksgiving for the blessings God has provided (T), and asking God to provide in my life or the lives of others through prayers of supplication (S). For this year, I’ve just ordered a prayer journal. Spending time with the Lord in prayer—and not just rattling off our wishes and needs but genuinely listening to Him—needs to be an essential part of our day.
Way #3: Spend time in nature
I have a gym membership as well as a treadmill and a weight bench in my home, but my favorite way to exercise is outdoors. That’s because instead of “exercise”, the experience becomes a time to savor creation and bask in worship of the Lord. When we get outside, our problems and worries tend to decrease in view of the vast world around us. Concerns tend to get smaller. Even just sitting on my patio helps put things in perspective. It’s hard not to focus on God when you’re outside.
Way #4: Join a group Bible study
There is something to be said about getting together with other believers to study God’s word. Superficial relationships turn into real friendships. Church more like it’s supposed to—a congregation of God’s people united with the common goal of discipleship. Christianity is harder when we go it alone. We can get lonely, and we all know the wolf (devil) has an easier time snagging the stray sheep than dealing with the whole flock.
Way #5: Take a faith risk
Is there something you feel God nudging you to do—big or small—that requires a measure of sacrifice, risk, or surrender? Why not see if that nudge is actually a call from God? Take a faith risk in some way. Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) reminds us that “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Countless stories in the Bible remind us that God often urged His people to do things that were wildly uncomfortable. A few examples in the Bible of this challenge are in the stories of Noah, Abraham, Mary and Jesus Christ’s disciples. When they accepted God’s challenge, they received blessings beyond measure, and most importantly a deepened relationship with the Lord.
Way #6: Do what God asks
Obeying God is important. He outlines what He expects of us in scripture. Most important are loving Him with all our heart, mind and soul and loving our neighbor as ourself (Matthew 22:36-40). But other ways to love, honor, and obey God are peppered throughout the Bible. As 1 John 2:3-6 tells us, “We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”
Be encouraged to know that everything else will fall into place when we make the effort to prioritize God over all.
Let’s Pray: Lord, it’s time. Help me push aside all the frivolous concerns and petty priorities that clamor for my attention and instead focus on You, trusting that You will bring clarity and understanding about how I should live this year. Help me remember that You are in control, not me. I love you, and I surrender to you. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.
Song of Reflection #1: "First" by Lauren Daigle. Listen to it here.
Song of Reflection #2: "Lord Over All" by Kari Jobe. Listen to it here.
Song of Reflection #3: "First Things First" by Consumed By Fire. Listen to it here.
~*~
Author Bio:
Jessica Brodie is an award-winning journalist, author, blogger, editor, writing coach, and devotional writer with thousands of articles to her name.
Since 2010, she has served as the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism, which has won 123 journalism awards during her tenure. Her latest book is Preparing Our Hearts: An Advent Devotional to Draw Closer to God at Christmas.
Jessica has won more than 100 writing awards. She is a seasoned speaker and frequent contributor to Christianity.com, BibleStudyTools.com, and Crosswalk.com, among many others. She has a weekly faith blog at JessicaBrodie.com and is part of the team at Wholly Loved Ministries, with her work included in many of their devotionals and Bible studies.
She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.
Brodie holds a Master of Arts in English, and she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in communications/print journalism from Florida International University. Born and raised in Miami, Brodie now lives in Lexington, South Carolina, just outside Columbia. She has also lived in Ohio and in the mountains of western North Carolina. She and her husband, Matt Brodie, have a blended family of four teenage children and stepchildren.
Brodie has written several novels and is actively seeking publication through her agent Bob Hostetler of The Steve Laube Agency. Her novel The Memory Garden won the 2018 Genesis contest for Contemporary Fiction from American Christian Fiction Writers, and her novel Tangled Roots won a third place Foundation Award in Contemporary Romance at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in 2019. She is finishing the third in the series, Hidden Seeds, now.
Connect with Jessica:
Website: https://www.jessicabrodie.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjessicajbrodie/
Twitter: https://x.com/JessicaJBrodie
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/jessicajbrodie
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicajbrodie/
Podcast: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/jessica-brodie
Download her free e-book:
https://www.jessicabrodie.com/ebook-god-centered
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