Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and your plans will succeed.
—Proverbs 16:3
If you go for spiritual growth with your New Year’s resolutions, you’ll score big dividends. Paul put it this way: “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (Gal 5:16).
A paragraph later, he named nine qualities that he called the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (vv. 22, 23).
Make growth in these nine character-traits your resolutions for the year.
Here are some various translations of these virtues:
- Love (affection for others)
- Joy (gladness, exuberance about life)
- Peace (serenity)
- Patience (forbearance, longsuffering, an even temper)
- Kindness (compassion, good will)
- Goodness (benevolence, generosity)
- Faithfulness (fidelity)
- Gentleness (tolerance, meekness, humility)
- Self-control (temperance, self-restraint, chastity)
Best wishes and Happy New Year.