New Year Resolutions or Who Will I Worship?

¹⁴ For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: Exodus 34:14

Humans are given to excess. If it is available, easily accessible, and satisfying to the flesh, whatever “it” is can quickly become an idol. New Year’s resolutions reflect this truth every year. What do we resolve? We resolve to eat less, spend less, give in to our desires less, which leads to making choices to work out more or eat out less. Sometimes, we resolve to read our Bibles or pray more, and this also is a demand to give in to other desires less.

As I considered my word of the year, “worship,” this morning, I considered God’s definition of the kind of worship He is looking for in the hearts of men.

​¹ Thus saith the LORD,
The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool:
where is the house that ye build unto me?
and where is the place of my rest?
² For all those things hath mine hand made,
and all those things have been, saith the LORD:
but to this man will I look,
even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit,
and trembleth at my word. Isaiah 66:1-2

As I copied this verse down, I accidentally wrote “that is of a poor and contrite spirit.” That was not what the Bible said, so I stopped to consider why. Why does it say, “that is poor”? What does poverty have to do with worship?

Jesus explained that riches often prevent people from fully following God. His conversation with the rich, young man demonstrates this truth.

And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! ²⁵ For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. ²⁶ And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? ²⁷ And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Luke 18:24-27

Riches allow us to satisfy our desires, often without even thinking about them. If you have an Amazon prime account, you may be able to relate with me. We see what we like, we add to cart; it is on our doorstep in 24-48 hours. Rarely do we have to stop and ask the Lord to provide because we can afford what we need. If we cannot afford it, then we may do what we need to do to save up for it, and again, we do not have to ask the Lord for it.

Perhaps Solomon’s worship problem had less to do with his wives and more to do with his ability to satisfy his every desire on demand. Yes, his wives turned his heart away, but if he had not been able to afford to serve their idols or even marry them—all one thousand of them plus concubines—perhaps his worship would have been more likely to stay where it belonged?

This truth was driven home to me as I considered Satan’s temptation of Jesus before His ministry began.

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. ² And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. ³ And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. ⁴ But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. ⁵ Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. ⁷ Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. ⁸ Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; ⁹ And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. ¹⁰ Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. ¹¹ Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. Matthew 4:1-11

Every one of Satan’s temptations had an underlying message to Jesus that said, “You deserve…” Jesus did deserve everything Satan offered. Jesus was hungry and He had fasted for forty days. Turning rocks into bread with heavenly power, however, would have fulfilled His need outside of God’s provision. Throwing Himself off a pinnacle would have assured Jesus of God’s protection, but it was a demand for that protection, rather than a legitimate need. Jesus deserved to rule the nations but obtaining that power outside of God’s plan would have been sinful. Satan’s subtle ploy was to deceive Jesus into giving in to His desires outside of God’s provision, power, and plan. As Satan’s last temptation so eloquently pointed out, serving oneself is akin to falling down in worship to Satan. That puts a whole new perspective on eating one more cookie just because I crave it!

Does this mean that we must take a vow of poverty to truly worship God? Not if we properly view what we have as God’s, and ourselves as merely stewards of His riches.

• Our bodies belong to Him. How we steward what goes into it and how we care for it is a form of worship.
• Our finances belong to Him. How we allocate that money is a form of worship. Do we really need another doohickey? Is there someone who needs us to share what He has given? Have we given back to Him what He deserves in tithes and offerings?
• Our time belongs to Him. Have we allowed time to spend truly worshipping Him, talking to Him, and hearing from Him?
• Our work is from Him and is meant to bring Him glory. Does it bring Him glory to complain about it and those we work with?
• Our church belongs to Him. Are we giving honor to Him by the way we participate as He has prescribed in His Word?
• Our hearts belong to Him. Those things that occupy our minds and our activities are meant to bring Him glory, not bring glory to ourselves. This is where even good works can interfere with our worship, if we seek the praise of men rather than of God.
• Our lives belong to Him. Seeking an easier path or yearning for what God has not given is a form of self-worship that will never bring God glory. This is why “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God concerning you,” is in the Bible.

I pray that this study might be as helpful for you as it was for me. It certainly realigned my thought process as I considered my 2025 resolutions. Suddenly, my list got much smaller, as I determined to worship God alone and seek to please only Him.

Happy New Year, my friends! May your 2025 be filled with true worship.

Erica B.