January 2026
From Karen Pulley: Resolutions or Renewed Hearts?
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By now, most of us have broken our New Year's resolutions. But I don't think we need new resolutions as much as we need a renewed heart. This might be a strange verse for the new year, but I love when God tells the wayward children of Israel in Ezekiel 36 that He will take out their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh (verse 26). What a great promise that is! Whether we are young or old in the Lord, we can find ourselves getting a bit stale, distracted, or indifferent, can’t we? How we must cry out to the Lord and ask Him to set our hearts on fire for Him again!
When the disciples saw their leader, Jesus–the hope of Israel–crucified, they lost all hope (Luke 24). Their dreams were dashed. Their hearts were filled with sorrow–until He began walking alongside them. He asked them why they were sad. Startled, they replied with their own questions: Are you a stranger here? Don’t you know that they crucified our Lord?
How I wish I could have been there! Jesus responded: Oh, you foolish and slow of heart. Don't you remember I told you all of these things? He stayed with them, and as He sat at the table with them, He took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. Then, He vanished out of sight. I love their response: “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us on the road…?” (Luke 24:32).
If you’re suffering from a cold heart, open your Bible, sit at His feet, and let His Word melt your heart. The Bible is God's love letter to you.
You are what you are now by what you poured into yourself last year. Hopefully, this year you’ll feed on the Word of God. I guarantee you that you will not be the same person! The Bible is sharper and more powerful than a two-edged sword, dividing what is of the flesh from what is of the spirit (see Hebrews 4:12). It’s not unlike a lump of clay that is pounded, shaped, and cut, but the end result is a beautiful work of art by the master potter.
They say where your eyes look, your whole body will go. If you want to have good posture, keep your eyes straight ahead. If you want to have bad posture, keep looking down. How we need to heed the Bible's words to forget those things which are behind and to look ahead to the prize of the high calling of Jesus Christ Himself (see Philippians 3:13-14).
So, where are your eyes looking? Where are you headed? The Lord invites you to sit at His feet each and every day. He will give you a new heart, because whether your heart is good or bad, it will affect your whole body.
We would see Jesus,
Karen Pulley
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