NO. LIVERMORE — At the Jan. 29, service, the congregation was welcomed by Pastor Bonnie Higgins at 9:30 a.m. to begin the service. The Invocation/Lord’s Prayer were recited. The hymns that were sung was “Come, Christians, Join to Sing”, “Stand Up, Stand Up, for Jesus”, “Living for Jesus”. The service ended with the congregation singing “Go Now in Peace”. Linda Lyman is the organist each week. Lew Lyman leads the music for the congregation each week.
The sermon, titled “New Year’s Resolution Broken Yet?” and reading the scripture from Colossians 3:1-10. Pastor Bonnie began speaking about how most people by the end of January has already broken any resolutions that they made in the beginning of the month. She explained that it is easier to make them, then to live by them. Many times, our New Year resolutions are about losing weight or saving money, getting out of debt, or even eating healthier. We make them but break them too soon. Usually, they are all about us being better people, about how we look on the outside to others. Remember, you aren’t here on earth to impress others, only God. So, how can we be better people in 2023? Let us look at what God tells us to do.
Throughout the Bible, God tells us how we should live our lives. God gave us the Ten Commandments to begin with. That is a great start to live our lives by. Jesus also told us to love one another, including our enemies. He has told us to be loving, patient, kind, generous, joyful, to name a few. To live by these resolutions, we need to have God’s vision for our lives. Our vision should be based upon Jesus on the cross, dying because of our sins. We need to remember as Christians, we need to be in the image of Jesus.
Some simple resolutions that God asks of each of His children are to go to church weekly, it is important that we spend time with Him, learning, fellowshipping, growing in His Word, singing praises to Him. We are told by Paul that we need to stay connected with other Christians. Another resolution would be to read the Bible daily. Spending time in His Word is crucial for growth. Even if you could only spend ten to fifteen minutes a day reading the Bible, you have put God above all else for that time. A third resolution is to pray constantly. Don’t forget to talk with God daily, spending time in prayer gives you one on one time with God. Scripture tells us to pray without ceasing. Many people forget to talk to God daily, it’s only when they want something.
If you haven’t made a resolution this year, make God your resolution, to get closer to Him. Live by faith, spend more time with God. Work on your relationship from the heart to God. Stay in tune with what the Holy Spirit is telling you. Stay in step with the Holy Spirit so you can experience God in your day-to-day life. It should not be just on Sunday you feel God’s presence.
This year, keep it simple. Your resolutions should keep God in the forefront of your life, if you do, everything else will work out in the blessings God will give you.