“Who alone stretched out the heavens
and trampled the waves of the sea;”
– Job 9:8

This verse speaks to the majesty and power of God, our Creator. By His will, He created all of the universe – galaxies, stars, sun, moon, and planets. Closer to home, He is master over the seemingly chaotic forces of the ocean. He is worthy of all praise, worship, honor, and awe that we can give.

This verse also illuminates one of the most interesting actions of Jesus… There was a night when the disciples had been rowing for hours against the wind and waves on the Sea of Galilee. They had made little progress when they were startled to see Jesus walking near them on top of the water. He was literally “trampling the waves of the sea.” In Job 9:11, it says, “He passes by me” and Mark’s gospel reports that Jesus intended to “pass them by”. This wasn’t a coincidence or random detail. It was given to help the disciples, and us, draw the line between our Savior and our Creator. This was yet another subtle (to us, clear to them) statement that Jesus IS God come in the flesh.

Jesus is truly “the image of the invisible God”. All the fullness of God’s nature dwells in Jesus. To see Jesus is to see the Father. He is, indeed, the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus. #FollowJesus

“Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” – Genesis 5:24

What was quite rare in ancient times is widely available to every blood-bought believer in Jesus Christ… YOU can walk with God habitually. Enoch was unique because of the depth of his relationship with God at a time of widespread ungodliness. However, if Jesus is your Lord, then the Spirit of God lives in you and you’re invited to walk in step with Him (Galatians 5). Are you?

Is your walk with the Lord your top priority? Do you intentionally stop what you’re doing at times to pray and talk to God? Do you soak in His Word, reading, studying, and meditating on Scripture? Do you work hard to imitate Jesus, thinking like Him, speaking like Him, and acting like Him? Do you battle the temptations of your flesh that draw you away from God? Do you seek to put those temptations to death, fleeing from those which are too strong for you in the moment?

If so, then you’re truly walking with God. While you probably won’t be directly taken up to heaven like Enoch, you can certainly enjoy that same sweet fellowship with the Lord every day of your life. #FollowJesus

“But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.” – Malachi 4:2

What a perfect word from the final book of the Old Testament as we stand on the brink of a brand new year! Are you ready to leap eagerly into 2026, like an energetic calf getting free from its pen? Are you ready to walk into the power of the Holy Spirit Who lives in you if Jesus is your Lord? Are you ready for a year of letting your soul be healed by God’s grace as the Lord warms your heart with the sun of righteousness?

As you reflect on the highs and lows of 2025, be sure to give thanks to God for His presence in your life, in and through those very same highs and lows, triumphs and tragedies. As you pray and dream about the year ahead, may this promise be true for you! Fear the name of the Lord! Then leap into 2026 as you #FollowJesus

“But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” – Revelation 21:27

The Holy City… New Jerusalem… the restoration of creation as God made it to be…. It WILL be glorious. It IS the future. But ONLY for those whose names appear in the Lamb’s book of life! How does anyone get their name in that book? There’s only one way: as a gift of God’s grace given through genuine, saving faith in Jesus Christ. The kind of faith that Jesus is the crucified and resurrected Lord of the Universe that alters one’s life forever. That recognizes that whoever or whatever you were like before you met Jesus, He’s always calling you to change. To get rid of your old ways and walk in the newness of a life in imitation of Him.

It doesn’t matter if someone calls themself a Christian. It doesn’t matter if they’ve raised a hand, walked an aisle, or been baptized. What matters is if they’ve entrusted their life to Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. Have you? Have you accepted God’s gift of grace and been made new creation? If so, you won’t persist in old habits that are detestable to God and false. God’s Spirit will nag at you until you repent and change your ways. He won’t give you peace until you crucify the old ways of your old self and begin to live your new reality as a child of God.

The same is true for those you care about. Are you desperate to see their names written into the Lamb’s book of life? Are you deeply concerned when you see them continue in false and detestable paths if they call themselves a Christian? You should be! As one year ends and another begins, who do you love enough to invite them into a transforming relationship with Jesus Christ? #FollowJesus