The new year is often a time when we think about making improvements in our lives. With the Lord, we are always growing or should be!

When Christmas is over, its not the end of special. Christmas is the beginning of all that God wants to do in humanity. He sent us His Son that first Christmas, the message and love of Jesus is continually at work.

Jesus did not begin in the manger or in the womb. Micah tells us that this baby born in Bethlehem was coming and going from long ago, ancient days. Jesus handcrafted the events of His birth while in eternity past. He then revealed the plans for those events to the prophets hundreds of years before He carried them out at the fullness of time.

How do I know when God wants to tell me something?

A lot of times we feel like Jesus is up in heaven and we are stuck down here, so how are we supposed to feel close to Him? God tells us in the Bible that we are seated with Christ in heaven. Salvation is secure. Our future is already accomplished. It is a done deal. In our passage, Paul prays that the eyes of our hearts would be opened to this high hope of our connection to God. That we would feel the presence of God.

Sometimes we do not want to experience the presence of God in our lives because we know that His glory is going to create different pains as we grapple with our unworthiness. Endure the pain and come clean with the Lord. There will be joy in the long run.

Jesus left us with a promise: He is with us always. Are you experiencing His presence?

God invites us to draw near to Him. He wants us to feel Him close to us.

Solomon was drawn away from God by his many unbelieving wives. What turns your heart away from loving the Lord?

God wants the Christian life to shine as a picture of what God can do in anyone that comes to believe. Marriage is a HUGE part of most people's lives. So the health of your marriage is a HUGE witness to those not yet in Christ. This book, Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon) is incredibly helpful both as an analogy of our pursuit of God and as a literal guide to the pursuit of your spouse.