Many of us have already made and broken New Year resolutions, but what if our only goal this year was to surrender everything to Jesus and do whatever He tells us to do? A life surrendered to Jesus is the only thing that matters. We look at the story of the rich, young ruler who, by the world's standards, was a pretty good guy. He was wealthy, but he kept the commandments and treated people well. However, he was missing one thing. We can be in a place of systematic goodness, but it is meaningless without a relationship with Jesus. We may find ourselves burned out or judgmental toward others if we are striving in our own power and not in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus makes us a new person when we choose Him, so our identity can't be in other things. Following Jesus will cost us and we must count the cost - it will be persecution, tribulation, we could be killed, people with us will fall away and betray us - so we must take it seriously. However, we can't just look at the natural world when we count the cost, we must consider the eternal perspective and the cost of not following Jesus. Our sufferings won't compare with the glory we will enjoy with Him and without Him, we will die as slaves to our sin instead of living in the freedom only He can give. He will use us to impact those around us, so let's submit daily to Him, live with open hands, and give all we can to serve Him.

Amen!

Reference verses: Mark 10:17-27; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Luke 14:27-30; Matthew 24:9-13; Mark 10:29-30; Romans 8:16-18