Make an Easter Resolution

This is Day 40 of my 40 day Lenten Blog.

We are all familiar with New Year's Resolutions. We resolve to exercise, to lose weight, to be a better parent, to read more, to make more money, to learn a new language, or whatever else. We do this because when we begin a new year it's like we have a clean slate. We want this year to be a better year than the last. It's a do-over.

Well the reality is that a new year is not a do-over and it's not a clean slate. While it's good to make New Year's Resolutions, the truth is all the consequences of the year before--the unhealthy choices, the mistakes, the laziness--still exist on January 1.

The only one who can give us a clean slate is God. And He did that when He sacrificed His only Son on the cross on Good Friday. When Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, He rose not to a new year, but to a new world. His blood had washed the sins of the world clean. He gave us all a do-over.

Because of that, Easter is a wonderful time to make a resolution to change. Not to lose weight or make more money, but to grow in our faith and become closer to God. And maybe your resolution will be that broad. Maybe you'll simply resolve to grow in your faith. Or maybe you want to be more specific and resolve to stop doing a particular habitual sin, or read a chapter of the Bible every day. Whatever it is, I encourage you to make a resolution on Easter Sunday. You don't have to tell people or post it on Facebook like we do our New Year's Resolutions, it can just be between you and God. But He suffered greatly to wipe our sins clean--let's make the most of it!

Today's prayer:

God, thank You for wiping my sins away. Please look into my heart and show me the thing You most want me to change about myself and then give me the will to do so. Amen.

R.C. VanLandingham is the author of the Christian fantasy novel Peter Puckett & The Amulet of Eternity. He lives in Florida with his beautiful wife and three wonderful boys.