As a child, my family moved quite a bit. We moved eight times in my first 12 years. Whenever you start new somewhere, there is a process you have to go through. You discover things you forgot you had, you find things you want to get rid of, and you find things you definitely want to keep as you start new.
We have started a brand new year–2024. So, where are you going in 2024? Where does God want you to go? How can your faith grow and be authentic and real? How can you experience the joy and peace that comes from making Jesus Christ the center of your life?
“And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.” Colossians 4:3-4 (NIV). God invites us to be part of His work in the world, in our family, and in our community. In these verses, Paul is praying a prayer. He prays for an open door–an opportunity, a possibility to tell others about the Good News of Jesus. Paul is in prison as he writes these words. He doesn’t know how much time he has left. He asks: Pray for me. Not to survive, not that I would be safe–he prays: God, give me another open door.
In 2024, we need to start this year with a dangerous prayer: God, would you open doors. You were made for something more, something bigger, but you have to walk through the doors God gives you this year.
Let’s consider where God wants you to go this year:
LOVE GOD
Where does this idea come from? It came from Jesus. Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. Matthew 22:37-38 (NIV). To love God is the most important and best thing a human being can do–to love Him, to ask Him to transform your heart and soul and mind and strength.
As a church, we have an open door–and we want to invite people to love God with all their hearts, souls, minds and strength as we follow Jesus. \
LOVE PEOPLE
We want to love God. We want to love people. Where does this idea come from? Jesus. “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:39-40 (NIV). These verses talk about us loving God and loving people. Because you can’t love God without loving people.
With God, there is always hope. Sometimes the way God brings hope is through people who love us enough to speak truth, speak encouragement, to speak direction to help us. The Bible is clear–no one is to follow Jesus in isolation. So we need to love people and have life-changing, transformational relationships that help us love God more.
SERVE OTHERS
Where does this idea come from? It comes from Jesus. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIV). God so loved the world, that He gave His best, His Son, that whoever believes in Him, whoever trusts Him, whoever will follow Him, will not perish, will not be destroyed by sin, guilt and death, but will have a new life.
When Jesus came to this planet, He did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. That’s it. Where do we want to go in 2024? We want to love God. We want to love people. But then, we want to serve.
We want to serve others–the ones Jesus loves so much. The world does not really care if we have a new building, or programs, or budgets. But when the church becomes an army of servants, when a community has a group of Jesus followers that just serve others–there is transformation.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Let me ask the question again: Where are you going in 2024? It is time for you to discover the open door God wants you to walk through. Get off the sidelines. Get out of the bleachers. Get in the game. For the sake of your own spiritual growth, for the sake of this world, for the sake of this community–get in the game. Love God. Love people. Serve others.
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 (NIV). I pray that you experience the joy and peace that comes from making Jesus Christ the center of your life.
