Happy New Year!
It’s hard to believe that we’re already in the year 2020. Just typing it feels like being in a sci-fi movie. But somehow the Lord has seen fit to grant us another lap around the Sun. And for the productivity-minded, a new year signifies a new start. And that significance is magnified when we consider that we are embarking not just a new year, but a new decade.
So, perhaps you can understand when I tell you that I struggled to determine what I should write about on this productivity blog for January 1st, 2020.
I could have written to you about New Year’s resolutions, keys to building lasting habits, or tips for setting great goals. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized something. As we step across the threshold of a new decade, the most important thing we could do for our productivity as Christians is not to think about ourselves, our ambitions, or who we want to become in 2020, but rather to reflect on who God is. After all, the goal of all Christian productivity is to steward our lives well in His power for His glory. And our confidence to continue that bold race is founded upon the character of our God.
The year might be changing, but your God is not.
God Will Not Change in 2020
Reflecting on the sovereignty of God reminds us that though we don’t know what a new year will bring, God does and He has ordained every blessing and trial for our good.
The main thing we need to remind ourselves of is that God does not change. I’m talking about the doctrine of divine immutability, which is defined in Biblical Doctrine as God’s “perfect unchangeability in his essence, character, purpose, and promises”.
When we experience a change in our lives, it’s helpful to remember that there is an immovable, unchanging rock on Whom we can always rely. The fact that God does not change is the basis of our confidence in His faithfulness. God is not fickle, He will not change His mind, He will not break His promises. So, we can proceed with trust.
So, it may be a new year but we have the same God.
God is in Complete Control of 2020
As you look ahead to the things you hope to accomplish and the person you want to become in the new year it can feel daunting. But remembering that God is completely sovereign over His universe is just the comfort we need to continue pressing on.
We don’t know what this year will bring. Will there be trials, health issues, financial woes? When we start playing the “what if?” game we can begin to spiral down the fear funnel. But reflecting on the sovereignty of God reminds us that though we don’t know what a new year will bring, God does and He has ordained every blessing and trial for our good. So, there is nothing to fear.
God Wants You to Succeed in 2020
The last thing I would remind you of at the beginning of this fresh decade is that God wants you to succeed. No, I’m not talking about the lies of the prosperity gospel—that God just wants you to be healthy and wealthy. I’m talking about success in the ultimate sense.
What does success in the Christian life look like? In a word: faithfulness. God wants us “to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10). That means no matter what specific endeavor you are undertaking this year, God wants to use them to bear fruit and grow you in sanctification. And since God wants these things for us, if we are seeking to be faithful we are on a can’t-lose mission even if some of the specific endeavors fail in an earthly sense.
If your business, your health, or your finances fail, but you have sought to glorify Him in them and act faithfully, you have still succeeded in the only evaluation that ultimately matters.
New year, same God.
Let’s get started.
