new year, same Jesus.

When I sat down to write my post for the New Year, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to say. I had an “awesome” list of resolutions for myself and my walk with Jesus. I had three main resolutions and all these different parts for each one. Then, a couple of days after I finished, I realized my resolutions all simply lead to one thing:

Worship.

Everything I want to do points to worship. And I don’t mean just church-on-Sunday-morning-worship. I mean true worship – showing reverence and adoration for God every part of every day; in my thoughts, actions, words, and prayer. I want to be present with Jesus. Instead of having the mindset of working on my faith to better my walk with Jesus, why don’t I simply just walk with Jesus?

When I think about worshipping Jesus in my life, here are the first thoughts that come to my mind:

1. Uncomfortable
2. Complacency
3. Servanthood

Be uncomfortable. *shudders* Does anyone really want to be uncomfortable? That sentence alone is scary. When I say I want to be uncomfortable, I’m saying I want to be uncomfortable in the ways of the world. Comfort outside of Christ is fleeting and empty. Comfort in this world is momentary, and when we’re comfortable in the things of the world we basically take a break from relying on God. We stop recognizing the gifts given to us, and in return our growth as Christ-followers becomes hindered. God and God alone is our true comfort.

Comfort outside of Christ can be a stumbling block – it makes us independent from our Savior, when in reality we are unable to do anything without Him. As a Christian, being uncomfortable allows us to search our hearts for our sin, and gives us an opportunity to repent. In those moments we’re being refined by our Savior – take heart knowing God still sees us as precious in those moments and He will forever be our place of eternal comfort!

In Matthew 23:19 Jesus says, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world yet lose their soul?” The world is a place full of deceiving comfort – in possessions, people, leaders, relationships, money. But, when we have God as our comfort, all the things of the world slip away and He remains. [if you’re a Christian rap fan, give a listen to “Uncomfortable” by Andy Mineo]

Don’t be complacent. Matthew 5:6 tells us, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” One of my dear friends and sister in Christ (shouts to Raegan) told me her word for the New Year is thirst. A thirst for Jesus, a longing to be closer to him and to know him more. Yaaaaasssss girl. I want to grow each and every day. I don’t want to settle in my faith, being a follower of Jesus is so much more. The second I think I’m “all good” and that I don’t need to learn more about Jesus is the second I know I’m in trouble.

Having a thirst for Jesus is so powerful to me – needing Him so badly and so deeply that only He can quench my longing. I want my soul to be filled every single day by my sweet Savior. One of my main struggles is consistently spending time in the Word, but when I attach the thought of being thirsty for Jesus, I want to dive into His Word and be completely immersed. Are we becoming more thirsty for Netflix than Jesus?

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For it you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” — 2 Peter 1:5-8

“We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” — Hebrews 6:11-12

Be a servant. I truly want to take on a biblical servant’s heart. I want to serve in my friendships, my family, my workplace, my marriage, and in my relationship with Jesus. Jesus came to the world not to be served, but to serve. Why would I, a follower of Jesus, not hold that same attitude? I want to show His love through serving. Philippians 2:3-5 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…”

Many people hear of someone serving and view that title as one of lesser value, or of one that shows weakness or a lack of power. In the eyes of Jesus, it’s the complete opposite – we are called to serve. Jesus Serving isn’t easy; as sinful people we tend to focus on our own personal gain and what benefits us instead of loving as Jesus loved. I want to be consistently praying and using Jesus’ life as a guide for my relationships, especially my marriage. And I know that in order to possess the heart of a biblical servant I need to keep myself filled with Jesus to fill others!

This time last year, my husband and I had the opportunity to begin acting as sponsors for our church’s high school ministry, as well as begin leading one of the high school small groups. Looking back, I had no idea that we would have such an amazing opportunity to minister to others and be a part of so many kids’ walks with Christ, as well as learn a lot ourselves. This year, we want to dive even deeper into leading them and we’re praying for some great things to happen!

So, how does this all point to worship? Being uncomfortable for Jesus to spread the Gospel, not being complacent and being thirsty to draw closer to Him, and living with a servant’s heart like Jesus.

As I look forward to this year, I know there are going to be struggles and hardships, and I know there are going to be celebrations and happiness. But do you know what I am most looking forward to?…Knowing that in each and every day and each and every situation God is already there, and here’s the kicker: He always will be.

Your sister in Christ – kayley jean, a wife redeemed

[Stay tuned for my next post – I’ll be sharing my favorite resources that help me study the Word and draw closer to Jesus, as well as my current worship music playlist!]