New Year’s Day is the perfect day to recalibrate …

It is fascinating to see what we, as humans, are willing to pay for when we think something has value. If you browse eBay long enough, you’ll find that the “value of stuff” is entirely subjective. For instance, a Brazilian manufacturer once listed a UFO detector – AA batteries included – designed to sense fluctuations in the magnetic field caused by alien visitors; it sold for $135.03. Even more bizarre, a grilled cheese sandwich supposedly bearing the image of the Virgin Mary fetched a staggering $28,000, while a “haunted” walking cane went for $65,000. People have even paid $263 for a piece of Britney Spears’ used chewing gum and $1,000 for a potato chip shaped like a cowboy.

While we might laugh at someone spending a thousand dollars on a potato chip, these oddities raise a penetrating question for New Year’s Day: How do you determine value? As you stand at the threshold of 2026, take a moment to look back at the trail you left in 2025. If an impartial judge looked at your bank statements, your calendar, your time usage, and your browser history from the past year, what would they say you value most? We often claim to value one thing while living for another, and that is why the start of a new year is the ideal time to recalibrate.

In the technical world, calibration is the process of adjusting an instrument so that its readings match a perfect standard. If a compass is off by even one degree, a hiker might feel like they are heading in the right direction for miles, only to find themselves completely lost in the wilderness. To recalibrate means to bring your “internal compass” — your values, desires, and decisions — back into alignment with the only true North: the Word of God.

Left to ourselves, our values naturally drift toward the temporary. We begin to value comfort over character or the accumulation of “stuff” over our spiritual maturing. Recalibration isn’t just a psychological reset; it is a theological necessity. It requires an honest comparison between how we are currently living and the standard of Scripture, followed by the deliberate adjustments needed to ensure we are actually following Jesus.

Living under the preeminence of Christ
To truly recalibrate according to God’s Word, we must grasp what it means for Christ to be “first.” The Greek word prōteuōn describes a state where He is “first” in the sense of total permeation. This is not about being at the top of a list of your values; it is that He is the value in everything you do. He is the reason you breathe, the motive behind your work, and the standard for your recreation.

The Apostle Paul defines this in Colossians 1:17-18: “He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.”

When the Bible says He is “first in everything,” it means He is the “all in all.” You cannot compartmentalize a preeminent Christ. Recalibrating to this truth means moving away from the idea that you give God a “piece” of your life. Instead, you recognize that since He “holds all creation together,” there is not one square inch of your life — your finances, your secret thoughts, or your 2026 ambitions — where He is not the primary substance and authority.

Seeking the kingdom first
Once we recognize that Christ must be first in every single detail, our daily ambitions must be scrutinized. Most of our stress comes from worrying about things that have no eternal value – the modern equivalents of UFO detectors and cowboy-shaped snacks. Jesus offers a recalibration of our focus in Matthew 6:33: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

Seeking the Kingdom “above all else” means your primary value is no longer your own brand, your own comfort, or your own security. It is an active, moment-by-moment pursuit of God’s reign in your life. When you are recalibrated to the Kingdom, your value system changes. You stop asking what will make you famous or comfortable and start asking what will bring God glory.

Testing the location of your treasure
Finally, recalibration requires an honest look at where we invest our hearts. We cannot claim to value God’s Word while spending our mental energy on the world’s wisdom. We cannot claim to value people while treating them as obstacles to our personal goals. Jesus provided a simple diagnostic tool for our values in Matthew 6:21: “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

As you move into this year, don’t just ask what you want to achieve; ask what you want to cherish. If your “treasure” — your time, your money, and your focus — is spent on the temporary items of this world, your heart will remain tethered to things that are passing away. Recalibration is the act of the mind and will being re-centered on Christ so that He becomes the treasure that governs every other aspect of our lives.

The beauty of New Year’s Day is that the “reset” button is right in front of you. You don’t have to carry the misaligned values of last year into this one. You can choose to stop drifting and start anchoring yourself in the truth that never changes.

Scotty