January 11th, 2024
Thursday, January 11th
New Year, New You
By: Chrissy Cooney
It’s all over social media as we begin 2024, “New Year, New You.” I’ve seen it touted with ads for eating better, exercising more, dry January, and all kinds of New Year's resolutions involving self-care and making yourself a better, stronger, healthier YOU.
As 2024 began and I was praying and preparing to head into a new year of work, ministry, and family life, I found myself asking Jesus to make me more like HIM. Less focused on me, less concerned with how I look to others, how I am performing, or where I am lacking, and more concerned with finding my identity in Christ. “Show me what I need to do to look more like you?” I cried out to the Lord. I asked Him for a passage from His Word that would guide me.
This is the scripture that immediately came to my mind, “but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). If you have attended church for any period of time you are likely to be familiar with this passage about the fruits of the Spirit. My prayer for you today is that Holy Spirit would speak in a fresh way to you, like He did to me, about this path to holiness.
God is Holy. He is Other, Set-Apart, Not Like Us. For the world to see Him when they look at us, we must be transformed from the inside out, from our roots to our fruit, if you will. To look like Him is not just to wait patiently for something, but to love God, our neighbor, and ourselves enough to be patient, to experience joy even when life is hard, to walk surrounded by peace in the middle of a storm, to be faithful even when we have every right to quit. I can’t do these things in my own strength, and neither can you, but if we reach out to Him with every situation, He will give us the tools that we need. If our root system is drawing living water from the Well that never runs dry, then the fruit we are producing will look different; we will look like Him.
New Year, New You
By: Chrissy Cooney
It’s all over social media as we begin 2024, “New Year, New You.” I’ve seen it touted with ads for eating better, exercising more, dry January, and all kinds of New Year's resolutions involving self-care and making yourself a better, stronger, healthier YOU.
As 2024 began and I was praying and preparing to head into a new year of work, ministry, and family life, I found myself asking Jesus to make me more like HIM. Less focused on me, less concerned with how I look to others, how I am performing, or where I am lacking, and more concerned with finding my identity in Christ. “Show me what I need to do to look more like you?” I cried out to the Lord. I asked Him for a passage from His Word that would guide me.
This is the scripture that immediately came to my mind, “but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). If you have attended church for any period of time you are likely to be familiar with this passage about the fruits of the Spirit. My prayer for you today is that Holy Spirit would speak in a fresh way to you, like He did to me, about this path to holiness.
God is Holy. He is Other, Set-Apart, Not Like Us. For the world to see Him when they look at us, we must be transformed from the inside out, from our roots to our fruit, if you will. To look like Him is not just to wait patiently for something, but to love God, our neighbor, and ourselves enough to be patient, to experience joy even when life is hard, to walk surrounded by peace in the middle of a storm, to be faithful even when we have every right to quit. I can’t do these things in my own strength, and neither can you, but if we reach out to Him with every situation, He will give us the tools that we need. If our root system is drawing living water from the Well that never runs dry, then the fruit we are producing will look different; we will look like Him.
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2024
January
New Year, Fresh StartA Good Plan for the New YearCall on MeHope Has a NameHolidays in Rear ViewHolinessHow to Have our Mind TransformedNew Year, New YouA Pattern of RenewalVictory in JesusFear Knot? Fear Not.Seek the LORDBetterWhere to Place your TrustRadical GraceGenerosity God's WayThe Poor and NeedyThe Open Hand ConceptA Need that Burdens your HeartHow's Your Heart?Who Are You?Testing in the Wilderness
February
CallingDon't HideWhere You AreJust the Two of UsInvesting in the Kingdom of GodThe Golden RuleAgainst the GrainUnexplainable JoyThe Power of God's WordFollow MeThe God of the ImpossibleOut on a LimbWe All Face ItTrue JusticeGatherGood SoilDon't Put God in a BoxBe BraveCulture CheckFeed His Sheep. Love His People.Jesus Revealed
March
Jesus in His GloryNot QuantityHow Much God Loves ChildrenWhere Two or Three are GatheredLike Little ChildrenFocusAmazing GraceBeing Confronted By JesusKingdom FruitWedding AttireCome with a Hungry HeartLive and Lead Like HimTough LoveBe on your GuardKeep WatchTalentsSlow DownBeing Led by the SpiritKingdom WatchThey Are Us. We Are Them.Jesus Gave His All For UsHe is Risen, Indeed
April
The Most Important Question Ever AskedExchanging Death for a Better LifeThe Space BetweenHe's got the KeysI want to know HimJoy of the LordNeverthelessFullness of JoyFavorites"Try it, you'll like it."He Created MeHe Chose to Die for MeGod's Love for UsAn Eternal LoveNothing will SeparateThe Salt ShakerThe Word Brings HopeMeditate on God's WordA Well Lit PathEverything Wears OutEnjoy itModeration found in Contentment
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