What about those New Year resolutions…
I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas and New Year celebrations with your friends and family! I have two questions for you: first, have you ever had a new year’s resolution? Most of us will say yes. Second, did they ever last? For me, I have had one that lasted and completely changed my life for the better.
I had made the new year resolution in 2018 that in 2019 I would try new things. I had two friends encourage me to come to church with them, so on January 6th, 2019, I came to the Praise and Worship Center for the first time, and I never stopped. I started learning who God was and what he could do for my life, and I am grateful for everything I have learned, and for the opportunities I have had to give back.
As Pastor Mark says it, I want to challenge you as I challenge myself to find a way to dig deeper in your relationship with Jesus in 2025!
For myself, I have found that travelling gives me a deeper connection to Jesus. I recently travelled to Santa Fe, New Mexico to celebrate the three-year anniversary of my dad going to Heaven. In years past, I was so depressed that I couldn’t feel Jesus’ presence, but being in Santa Fe, praying in the Saint Francis Basilica, I felt God’s peace and gratitude that my dad was where he is. It led to having the best Advent and Christmas season since he passed away.
Some other options include:
- Read your Bible every day. Practice applying what you read to your own life, make changes, even when they are hard.
- Pray more. Include telling God what you are grateful for, not just what you need and why you are not happy with your life.
- Serve your community. That could your church, your neighborhood, find volunteer opportunities, or use a talent you have that could benefit other people.
When we dig deeper in our relationship with Jesus, this is when we see what he can do for us and the opportunities that he provides that allow us to spread his love, kindness and peace throughout our world. Remember that the smallest gesture of kindness can make the biggest difference in someone’s life and slowly we can change the world.
My prayer for you, and for myself, is that we reach new depths with Jesus this year. My hope is that we get on fire so much for Jesus that we can’t contain it and share it with the people we love, and we encourage each other to make a difference in the world.
God Bless you and your family in 2025!!