Dear Church Family,
As many of you know, I like New Year’s Resolutions. Particularly, I like looking back over 12 months of God’s faithfulness and then prayerfully resolving to be more faithful to Him in the coming year. I pray you can take the next few days to praise God for His goodness, confess lingering sin, and then resolve, by the Spirit, submitted to God’s will, to make strides for His honor in 2017. End 2016 under God’s mercy; begin 2017 longing for His glory.
Areas to consider resolutions:
1. Your praying life: Maybe you want to commit to 15 more minutes of prayer a day in 2017, morning or night. Maybe you could read a book to inspire and refocus your prayer in 2017 (A Praying Life by Paul Miller, Hearing God in Conversation by Samuel Williamson. and E.M. Bounds’ Power through Prayer all come from me highly recommended.)
2. Your Scripture intake: Do you want to begin a regimen of reading your Bible 10 minutes a day, commit to read through the Bible in a year, or choose a large passage of Scripture to memorize?
3. Your spiritual community: Will you choose to be more transparent before other Christians this year? Can you commit to serve your church family in more sacrificial ways?
4. Your physical body: Does a daily exercise or eating plan need to be shared with a brother or sister in Christ that can hold you accountable?
5. Your mind: Should you limit your screen time in 2017? Could you increase your reading of God’s Word and Gospel literature?
6: Your heart: Would finding a gifted counselor be a wise investment in 2017? Do you need to find a regular confessor who will hear your sin and speak the Gospel to you?
7. Your closest relationships: How could you grow as a son or daughter, brother or sister, husband or wife, friend, or cousin? How could you express love? What ways could you serve? Are there any open wounds or estranged relationships that could use your special focus in 2017?
Other news:
Our Next Step classes resume next week (January 2-6).
Our small group Bible studies will launch at the end of January. If you want to join one, speak to me soon.
There will be a Leadership Summit and Congregational Meeting on Monday night January 23 @7PM to discuss Bylaws Revisions, Building hopes, and our “Growing into Maturity” initiatives.
To God be the glory,
Matt
