Making New Year's Resolutions

Two phrases stand out in the book of Haggai. The first calls the people of Israel to honest self-examination. The temple had remained unbuilt for sixteen years, and their familiar excuse—“The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord”—was wearing thin. “Consider your ways,” Haggai declares. The judgment of God surrounded them, if only they were willing to see it.

The second phrase—“Consider from this day onward”—invites them to move from examination, to repentance, to intentional change. Following this progression, Haggai offers enduring wisdom for the way we think about New Year’s resolutions.

1. Let Your Resolutions Be Biblically Informed

Make resolutions that move you toward greater obedience. God’s Word has a way of exposing the places where we fall short and clarifying the path forward. Listen carefully to what it says, even when it confronts you.

2. Make Repentance the First Step Toward New Obedience

Repentance allows the past to truly become the past. But repentance is not the final step. Do not waste time wallowing in remorse or shame. Turn instead in a new direction. Repentance clears the ground so that obedience can grow.

3. Anchor Your Resolutions in the Promises of God

What has God promised? Forgiveness. Peace. Security. Hope. In the New Testament, we are also given the promise of the Holy Spirit—His active presence and power enabling new direction, new strength, and lasting change. “Consider from this day onward.”

After the preaching of Haggai, the temple was rebuilt in five years. God’s Word, received with repentance and obedience, brought renewal where there had been long delay.

So consider your ways. And then, consider from this day onward.