“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT)
Some people make resolutions for the new year, some seek out a Bible verse, and others ask God for a specific list of goals. My December was such that I had little space to pray about these things for my 2026. However, I do feel like God gave me a verse to focus on:
Whatever builds up your faith and deepens your love must become your holy pursuit. (2 Timothy 2:22 TPT)
I know that more scholarly translations of this verse of the Bible focus on avoiding lusts of the flesh, pursuing righteousness, and fellowshipping with believers. Those things are good and true, but I really felt God emphasizing the version in the Passion Transltation: my holy pursuit is to be building my faith and deepening my love.
This verse doesn’t give me a to-do list, but it challenges me to grow in faith and love. What exactly does that mean? I’m not sure. I expect that day by day, week by week, month by month, God will show me the ways in which I can grow in faith and love this year.
And I love the idea of a “holy pursuit.” That is a spiritual journey. Someone with an ear to the Lord told me last fall that God would take me on “unexpected journeys.” Having three deaths in eleven days in December was definitely an unexpected journey, but I do recognize and give thanks for God’s mercy, faithfulness, and presence in that time. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more “unexpected journeys” – pleasant and hard – this year, but I know God will be faithful in them.
If the Lord has given you a verse to focus on for this day, this month, or this year, give thanks that he loves you so much to give you such a gift.
If God is calling you on “unexpected journeys,” don’t be surprised that they take you to places that show you his great faithfulness.
I don’t think it is a stretch for each of us to say that God calls us to a holy pursuit of deepening our love and building up our faith. How you do that may be different than how I do it, but as we continue this holy pursuit of sanctification, the fruits of the Spirit, and a life that is transformed more and more into the image of Christ, we will grow in faith and love.
So, Lord, help us to build up our faith, deepen our love, and make you our holy pursuit, we pray in Jesus’s name, AMEN.