What Goals Would Jesus Set for the New Year? - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - January 6, 2025

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“For I have come down from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me." John 6:38

Each New Year holiday, many of us ask ourselves, “What are my goals for the coming year?”

We often set healthcare goals, career goals, marriage goals, parenting goals, and the list goes on. But how many of us set the same goal as Jesus—to choose to do the will of our Heavenly Father over our own goals?

If so, what might that look like in the coming new year? By looking at the life of Jesus on earth, we find an outline for setting goals.

Following are six goals we can set for the new year following Jesus’ example:

1. Reach out to hurting people. Jesus reached out to people where they were. There are so many people in our hurting world who are in desperate need of ministry. It’s easy to pass them by in our daily routines. Still, Jesus heard the cries of their hearts and took the time to stop and minister to them. 

Matthew 9:35 describes how, “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.”

Following Jesus’ example is to be led by the Holy Spirit in reaching out to those who are hurting here on earth.

2. Forgive others. While suffering on the cross, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up His clothes by casting lots” (Luke 23:34).

Jesus gives us insight to see that on a spiritual level, people don’t really understand what they are doing when they come against us. Even when it seems like people are intentionally out to get us, the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:32 encourages us to, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

3. Let others know their sins are forgiven. Jesus let individuals know their sins were forgiven. In Luke 5:20, it says, “When Jesus saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.’”

Likewise, the Apostle John explains in 1 John 2:12: “I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of His name.”

Jesus explained, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28).

4. Spend time in pray. Jesus often left the crowds to pray. Luke 5:16 describes, “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

If the Son of God set time aside to spend in prayer with our Heavenly Father, how much more do we want to follow His example?

5. Seek to do God’s will over our own. Even though Jesus is fully God, He submitted to the will of His Father and modeled to all of us how we can do God’s will over our own on earth.

Sometimes we may wonder if we play an essential part in God’s will being accomplished on earth, asking, do our prayers actually help God bring His will to earth? 

Yes, we do. As Jesus prayed, so can we: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

6. Confront errors in the church. Although it can be unpleasant, as Jesus experienced, it’s necessary. He addressed issues in the Temple, not holding back when He saw something amiss, even if it went against the flow of the crowd and caused others to be upset. Nowadays, security would most likely escort Jesus off the church grounds.

Matthew 21:12 describes how “Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.”

It’s easy to hope someone else will address issues in the church, but maybe God is calling us to address them or at least bring them to the attention of the leadership.

Let’s pray:

Dear Father,

Lead us this coming year to follow Jesus’ example on earth in setting our goals. Like Him, strengthen us to reach out to hurting people, forgive others, let others know their sins are forgiven, spend time in prayer, seek to do God’s will over our own, and confront errors in the church.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Bojani

Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.

Related Resource: I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life | Midweek Prayer (John 14:1–6)

When our hearts feel troubled, Jesus invites us to trust Him again.

This short midweek prayer creates space to pause, breathe deeply, and return to Jesus’s words in John 14:1–6, where He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” In this guided prayer, we acknowledge the places where worry, uncertainty, or longing have unsettled our hearts and bring them honestly before God.

Jesus reminds us that we are not alone—that He is with us, that He is preparing a place for us, and that He will return for us. As we pray, we ask for help to trust Him more deeply and to follow Him in the way He has already made clear: to love God fully and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Take a few quiet minutes to slow down, listen for God’s invitation, and rest in the presence of the One who leads us in truth and life. If you like what you hear, follow So Much More on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!