Growing in Christlikeness and Service in 2024
I love this time of year! Culturally, it’s an opportunity to reflect on how we, as individuals, can improve and grow. I find it interesting, that so many people turn to the scene of our Savior’s miraculous birth and then a week later begin turning their minds to how they can make this year their best year yet. If only, they would continue their focus on Jesus. He’s capable of making the difference so many people desire. We understand this as His followers and are thus motivated to grow more like Him and increase our service to Him.
I hope you are motivated to grow as a disciple in 2024! I want to challenge you to think about how you can grow more like Christ and as His servant. I feel like sometimes our spiritual growth is stunted by not defining how we want to grow. We know we want to grow, but we don’t define what the growth looks like or how it’s going to be achieved.
Let’s quickly look at some ways to grow more like Christ. When we think about Christ’s life on Earth, we see a generous (Matthew 26:28), compassionate (Matthew 9:36), prayerful (Luke 6:12), and humble servant (Philippians 2:5-8). This list not only describes Jesus but also attributes we can increase in our lives. If you are still looking for ways to grow in 2024 or for a New Year’s Resolution, my suggestion is to consider the life of Jesus and choose one attribute to really focus on in one area of life. For example, maybe you want to be more compassionate when driving through the crazy Murfreesboro traffic.
Perhaps you want to focus on growing your service within the church. Ephesians 2:10 explains Christians were created to do good works. Much like there is always something that can be done around the house to help keep it clean and tidy, so there is always something to be done here to help in the work of the Lord. Maybe you want to try teaching a class, getting involved in our youth ministry, serving as a deacon, and the list could go on. Maybe you see a need within our church or community that you think you could help resolve. Yet, it’s also possible you find yourself simply needing to prepare for the day you are asked to serve as a teacher, deacon, or elder. Ultimately, it’s up to us to decide and to put in the work to grow as His disciple!