With each new year, people look forward to starting a new chapter in life.
My suggestion, as we move into 2015, is to have one goal: draw closer to God than you have ever been before.
God is the reason you have life. He is truly the only aspect of life that truly matters.
Yes, God provides gifts such as families and friends, food and shelter. But too frequently, our personal pursuits, our personally perceived needs, turn our attention away from God and what God will provide.
Don’t let that be the case for you this year!
Before purchasing something, before striving to make an extra buck, before making major decisions, remember to ask yourself — and God! — if it is what God really wants you to do.
By asking that simple question, you will focus more on God’s will than your own.
When you focus on God’s will, you will automatically draw closer to him. It cannot be helped. God’s will, God’s desire, and God’s sense of right and wrong eventually become yours as well.
This is a gift he is willing to give because of the gift he gave at Christmas — himself in the baby Jesus.
He came to show love, to show what he can and will give, and to show how important you are to him.
So, Happy New Year to each and every one of you! Enjoy the start of this new chapter. Enjoy the guidance of God through his Son and Holy Spirit.
The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview’s pastor.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Draw closer to God in 2015