The Lord has made you a part of the Body.  He has given you value and worth and a significant part to play in His redemptive work! Let’s fulfill our role as Christ’s Body on earth by using our gifts by serve others and valuing everyone in the Body. 

We must not get this backward even though we are free in Christ. We are instruments in the hands of a good, loving, all-powerful and all-knowing Master who provides guidance and direction for our lives.  Let’s not forget Who is in charge here!

We all have an innate desire to be right. We fight to prove ourselves right and true and good. While we can often see the struggle to be right in others, the question really is if we can see it in ourselves. Do you recognize the ways that you try to justify yourself? 

Jesus has chosen you as His friend. He wants to work with you to produce fruit for your good and His glory.  He wants to share with you all that he has heard from the Father.  And He has stood between you and our greatest enemies: sin, death and Satan.  

Do you know God’s deep love for you? In Christ, you are a beloved child of God. He doesn’t love you because of your performance or how well you obey or whether you measure up to certain standards. God loves you because you are His child through faith in Jesus Christ.

As we enter this new year, we will inevitably stand in places of beauty and places of trial and devastation. But our ability to stand in the midst of the good and the bad is completely based upon the finished work of Jesus Christ. With Him, we can stand firm through any circumstance.