“And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11

Do you make New Years’ resolutions? Do you want to lose weight, quit some bad habit, walk your dog more often? I’ve made some, but seldom succeeded in keeping them for long. Instead, my continuing desire and hope is to follow Jesus more closely and press on in the process of becoming conformed to His image. He alone can change me.

The verses above made a big impression on me one holiday evening as I attended a small church in Olympia with family members. I decided to read and pray them daily.

In my own words, “Lord, I pray that my love for You may abound more and more and that I will come to a higher and fuller knowledge of You and Your will. May I learn to have right judgment, seeing and loving others as You see and love them. Help me to prove those things that are excellent by searching and knowing Your words so that I can approve Your excellency in others. May my love for You be sincere, not letting me be an offense either to You or to those whom I love in Your name. Fill me with the fruits of Your righteousness. These come only from Your working in me as I abide in You, Jesus, and are for the sole purpose of glorifying and praising God.”

My prayer for those of us at the Mission, and for you, is that our resolution would be always to follow Jesus, for our lifetime and for eternity. May God bless you and give you a happy new year!