2025 Year End

As we bring the last of our Christmas festivities to a close—taking down trees and ornaments—we begin to look ahead to a new year. Our thoughts naturally turn toward the future, to the hopes and possibilities the coming year may hold.

For many, this season becomes a moment of adjustment and change. New Year’s resolutions are made and pursued with sincere motives, reflecting a desire for direction and renewal.

Consider Jesus.

Jesus was born for one purpose: to be the sacrifice for humanity’s sins. He was born to die. Every step He took, every breath He breathed, every word He spoke was directed toward the mission for which He was sent. As He Himself declared, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

Jesus was victorious. He was never distracted by the temporary nature of this life. His purpose was always before Him. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus, “for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). He lived with the end in view, and today He wears the victor’s crown.

One cannot help but wonder what would happen if Christians lived with the same clarity of purpose—fully committed to the calling God has placed upon their lives. How differently would we live? What priorities would change? Paul echoes this challenge when he writes, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

Scripture assures us that every believer has a purpose in this temporal life.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). It is equally certain that discovering who we are in Christ gives direction and momentum to how we live. Living who we are in Christ will shape our priorities, desires, and actions.

Perhaps this year, our resolution could be this: to know God more deeply and to know who God says we are. As Paul prayed, “That I may know Him” (Philippians 3:10). To seek our purpose and live intentionally toward the completion of what He has set before us. In doing so, we will discover not only our true selves, but the true meaning of life itself.

With Gratitude, Pastor Jesse