We as Christians are blessed to be able to experience that fresh start of the new year on each and every day.

What do New Year's Eve and New Year's Day mean to you? For many people, it's about staying up until the clock strikes 12:00.

Whether young or old, it usually means parties and get-togethers of all kinds. For the sports fans, it's the long list of college bowl games on New Year's Day. Most of all, perhaps, New Year brings to mind resolutions.

For some churches, ringing in the new year also includes church services. New Year Eve holds an awkward position on the church calendar. It might seem that New Year's and church services are not a compatible duo. After all, New Year's isn't really a religious holiday; Jesus and other biblical figures were never around to watch the ball drop or to watch a Rose Bowl. It seems a little bizarre to go to church on a day that has become all about partying and misusing alcohol. Law and gospel are not in the schedule for the night.

But if you really think about it, maybe there is a place for God on New Year after all. One of the most popular New Year's traditions is the age-old practice of making resolutions. There's just something about turning the calendar to the next year that makes us want to make some changes for the better. In reality, there's not much of a difference between Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, but it feels like a fresh start, an opportunity to work with a blank slate and make ourselves better.

Resolutions usually start off with the best intentions, but there's a big problem with them: after a few weeks or months or maybe even after a couple of days, many resolutions are long forgotten. We have a tendency to go back to our old bad habits—the temptation is just too strong for most people.

Some resolutions may be planned out in line with our morals as Christians. God loves to see us living a better life, whether it's by taking better care of our bodies and finances or by doing more for others or for our churches. Unfortunately, as in so many other parts of a Christian's life, the sinful nature steps in and throws even the best plans aside. That blank slate that was once so clean quickly becomes tarnished with sin. Thankfully, this is exactly where God steps in and plays a huge role in New Year.