“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52).

Happy New Year!!!

As you start the new year, I am sure you have been thinking about resolutions to make this year better than the years before. Making resolutions is a good thing. If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to consider doing so as soon as you read the entry for today.

Look at the verse from today. It says something remarkable about Jesus. Think about it. We’re talking about Jesus – Jesus who is fully God and fully man. Jesus who is the second person of the Holy Trinity. Look at what the gospel writer Luke tells us about Jesus:

“And Jesus grew…”

WOW!!! Jesus grew!

Listen if Jesus grew, don’t you think we ought to grow? It’s not enough for us to just show up to church. Showing up to church is great. It’s a fantastic starting point. But we need to do more than show up. We need to grow up. We need to grow in our faith, our commitment, and our impact.

The text tells us Jesus grew in three ways. It would be really wise to include these three areas of growth for your personal resolutions for 2025:

• Jesus grew in wisdom
• Jesus grew in stature
• Jesus grew in favor with God and man

Jesus grew in wisdom. Jesus continued to grow in his understanding of who he was in light of who God is. How did he grow in his wisdom? Through growing in the knowledge of God through God’s word. Today is a fantastic day to start a Bible reading plan for the year. Here’s a plan that will take you through the entire Bible in one year: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/60-the-one-year-bible.

Jesus grew in stature. This isn’t just talking about physical girth. On the other hand, if it were, most of us already have that one covered. We don’t even have to work at it. We’re experts at growing our physical girth. What this has in mind is our knowledge. Jesus grew in knowledge. How can you grow in knowledge? Commit to reading a book for ten to fifteen minutes a day. If you do that, you will be able to read one book every month. Imagine if you read a book about cooking every month for the next twelve months. Do you think you might know how to cook better? What about a book a month about God-honoring leadership? Or about God-honoring parenting? Marriage? Ten to fifteen minutes a day. You can do it. Grow in knowledge.

Jesus grew in favor with God and man. This is talking about impact. Jesus increased his capacity to make an impact. Commit to adding value to the people in your life. Add value to your family. Add value to your friendships. Add value to your company, your school, your neighborhood. AND add value to your church. Get involved. Increase your giving of time and talents. That’s how you add value. That’s how you increase your impact. And your church needs you. Commit to growing in your impact.

Can you imagine how much you will have changed in the course of 2025 if you read through the Bible, read twelve books, and increased your commitment to add value?

MY GOODNESS! That would be an awesome 2025.

So make it happen! Happy New Year!!!

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

“For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus…”

Isn’t that amazing? So many people wonder what God’s will might be for their life. There may be other things that God wills for you, but one thing I know without a shadow of doubt is that God wants you to give thanks. Why? Because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

You see, because Jesus is Lord and Savior, we give thanks. We give thanks for our salvation. We give thanks for God’s grace that reached out to us. We give thanks for Jesus who died for us while we were yet sinners. We give thanks because of Jesus, because in him we start from the foundation of eternal salvation, adoption, inheritance, forgiveness. We give thanks because in Christ Jesus we have everything we will ever need for this life and the eternal life to come.

So, as we start the day to the last day of the year, before the celebrations, before the parties, before the get togethers, please take a moment to reflect back on the year to give thanks. If you are here, if you are reading this, it’s because God brought you here. There is so much God has brought us through. Thank him. Reflect back on God’s faithfulness, his provisions, his grace, his mercy, his steadfast love and give thanks.

In fact, it would be good to just jot down everything you are grateful for this year.

You’ll be amazed at how much God has blessed you.

Happy New Year! Celebrate responsibly.

“Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?…For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the sovereign LORD. Repent and live!” (Ezekiel 18:23, 32)

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

The context of the 2 Peter passage is regarding the day of the Lord. It’s talking about the end times of judgment. People are wondering why God doesn’t reveal himself now and destroy the scoffers and judge evil.

2 Peter 3:9 tells us the reason why the second coming of the Christ has not occurred yet is so that people will come to repent and receive eternal life. God is patient so that people may come to saving faith.

I don’t know how anyone came to picture God as a wrathful God with the hammer of justice ready to pounce on any who step out of line. Look at the verses from today. Do these verses reveal a God with the hammer of justice, ready to pounce on sinners? These verses reveal the very opposite.

I actually do know how we came to picture God as such a wrathful God. satan. satan wants us to believe that’s who God is. satan lies.

The heart of God is revealed in the verses of the day.:

• “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?“
• “For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the sovereign LORD. Repent and live!”
• “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance”.

God loves you. Repent and receive the gift of eternal life in Jesus.