The truth is knowing Jesus can change absolutely everything for you. No, your immediate circumstances may not be what you want them to be. But He can give you the strength and wisdom to navigate them, give you spiritual insight, and change your life for the better through them. He will also mold your character and heal your belief system – purging the bad and building the godly and eternal in you. And, of course, your relationship with Him will determine your eternal destination, which can and should transform how you experience situations.
Charles Stanley, The Gift of Jesus, p.104
We’ve done turkey and trees and maybe too many cookies. We’ve enjoyed the familiar carols and Christmas movies. We’ve delighted in the lights! And then there is often a bit of a welcome lull in the last days of December and the early days of January. I can appreciate the sense of a bit of a re-start in January. Maybe letting go of one not-so-good habit and exchanging it for a healthier choice. Do you have something you are considering?
How about a new or renewed focus on getting to know Jesus more deeply with some time in Scripture every day? Please know God will meet you in His Word and grow your understanding of Him and grow your confidence that you are loved and held closely when you submit to His will for your life. Consider this passage:
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Psalm 51.10-12
These three sentences speak volumes about the urgency to walk closely with the Lord. An acknowledgement of sin and the need for spiritual cleansing. A plea to not be cast away from the Lord’s presence but instead to be restored of joy and a willing spirit to live rightly in the Lord’s eyes. And the joy? It’s the joy of salvation! Our eternal security.
I want to encourage you to begin now to prayerfully consider joining with us in reading from the Psalms or Proverbs daily for the next few weeks as 2026 gets underway. The new Sunday sermon series launches this coming Sunday, January 11. Small groups will begin next week too. I’d love to help you get started and even connect with a small group.
There are things you decide you are going to work on later. Like tangled bracelets or deleting old emails. But this, this word of God? Not this! This one thing is too life-changing to decide to work on later. It’s a now kind of thing and now is, well, NOW!
I promise you … It’s worth the effort. It’s worth the knowing. It’s worth the believing!
Reply to this email so we can connect and get started together!
With love, Colleen