WHY DO I WANT TO CHANGE IN 2025?

“For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.”  – Philippians 1:21. .

Before you can make resolutions for the new year — before you start a reading plan, choose a diet, buy a journal, or step on a treadmill — you need a why worth changing for. Our resolutions often wilt because we don’t have a why big enough to weather the inevitable temptations, distractions, and setbacks. So why do you want to change, or what will your why be for 2025? For many people, our why is to live for Christ. When Paul wrote, “For to me, living means living for Christ,” he meant that his very existence, purpose, joy, and identity were found solely in Jesus Christ. It’s not just about following rules but about a complete surrender of our lives to the will of God, acknowledging that our true life is found in Him and will be to live for Christ.

Paul encouraged us to continue to live our lives in Christ. That’s good advice, but also a little bit confusing. What exactly does it mean to live a life in Christ? Thankfully, he explains it more fully in Colossians 2:6-7: “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Paul uses two metaphors to help us visualize the why and the how. As a tree finds fertile ground and drives its roots ever deeper to find water and security, so we can connect to Christ, the very source of our identity. We’re His, we’re forgiven, and we’re loved. Once we’ve found this firm foundation in our Savior, it only makes sense to start building our lives on Him.

What does that look like? Imagine the confidence you can have knowing that even the worst of your sins are wiped away. Imagine the joy you possess, even in the worst circumstances, when you know you’re living for a greater mission. Imagine the hope you know when things seem bleak because you’re confident God is working for your eternal good. It is the why.

The life lived for God is a life of achievement, goals, sacrifices, and accomplishments, with some failures and turns along the way. Living for Christ means we are focused on Him rather than overly focused on our works for God.

The best life is the life lived with God. A life with God means communion, fellowship, and intimacy with the very Creator of the universe. Life with God recognizes that we can do nothing to increase or diminish God’s love for us. We realize that God’s greatest desire is to be in a relationship with His people. Is there a better why than that?

Discussion Questions:

1. What are some of the obstacles to focusing on Christ above everything else?
2. What are some things that might happen if we lived our lives a little more for Christ in 2025?