ini Message

... A year of challenges and possibilities, a year of opportunities and perhaps anxiety. As we think about New Year's, we think about change and resolutions. We think about how to improve ourselves and make our circumstances better.

However, this isn't a new concept. The Apostle Paul shared this fact with believers in the first century. Paul wrote, "If any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

As we consider ways of "improving" ourselves, as we think about the future and those resolutions we make, let's also consider that in Christ we can be new creations. We don't just have to work on those problem areas ourselves, for the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us when we receive Christ into our hearts. When the Holy Spirit comes, He changes us from the inside out, improving the good and helping us do away with the bad.

Of course, we need to also remember that none of this happens without Christ. He is the agent of transformation. He is the one who makes a difference. If you're interested in being the best person you can be, the person you were created to be, then Christ needs to be a part of your life and the Holy Spirit needs to be allowed free reign to work in you. May your new year be blessed with the hope and peace of the Lord.