Questions For A New Year - Part 2

(This is a second part of a post which began yesterday, December 30.; some questions are spiritual food for thought, for those who are willing to face up to the spiritual aspect of their being, but many deal with practical goal-setting activities to improve the overall quality of your life. The questions posted both yesterday and today are for your personal benefit, and there is no need to share your responses here as a comment to the post. Personal responsibility must be accepted regarding the current status of your life instead of blaming others for possible circumstances or difficulties within your life; blaming others (especially God) is a cop-out. You made the choices in your life, and you can raise yourself back up if you have been knocked down in the past. A New Year is a good time to reflect upon some goals to incorporate into your life.)

In addition to these questions, here are 21 more to help you "Consider your ways." Think on the entire list at one sitting, or answer one question each day for a month.

11. What's the most important decision you need to make this year?
12. What area of your life most needs simplifying, and what's one way you could simplify in that area?
13. What's the most important need you feel burdened to meet this year?
14. What habit would you most like to establish this year?
15. Who do you most want to encourage this year?
16. What is your most important financial goal this year, and what is the most important step you can take toward achieving it?
17. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your work life this year?
18. What's one new way you could be a blessing to your pastor (or to another who ministers to you) this year?
19. What's one thing you could do this year to enrich the spiritual legacy you will leave to your children and grandchildren?
20. What book, in addition to the Bible, do you most want to read this year?
21. What one thing do you most regret about last year, and what will you do about it this year?
22. What single blessing from God do you want to seek most earnestly this year?
23. In what area of your life do you most need growth, and what will you do about it this year?
24. What's the most important trip you want to take this year?
25. What skill do you most want to learn or improve this year?
26. To what need or ministry will you try to give an unprecedented amount this year?
27. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your commute this year?
28. What one biblical doctrine do you most want to understand better this year, and what will you do about it?
29. If those who know you best gave you one piece of advice, what would they say? Would they be right? What will you do about it?
30. What's the most important new item you want to buy this year?
31. In what area of your life do you most need change, and what will you do about it this year?

The value of many of these questions is not in their profundity, but in the simple fact that they bring an issue or commitment into focus. For example, just by articulating which person you most want to encourage this year, you will be more likely to remember to encourage that person than if you hadn't considered the question.

If you've found these questions helpful, you might want to put them someplace – in a day planner, PDA, calendar, bulletin board, etc. – where you can review them more frequently than once a year.

So let's evaluate our lives, make plans and goals, and live this new year with biblical diligence, remembering that, "The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want." Proverbs 21:5. But in all things let's also remember our dependence on our King who said, "...... for without me ye can do nothing." John 15:5b

From an article written by Don Whitney