Making 2025 the Best Year Yet for Jesus
Today the calendar flips to 2025. We are just 365 days from the completion of a quarter of the 21st century. As Christians, the new year provides us an opportunity to remember the past year and reflect on how we can grow spiritually, with a focus on a life dedicated to Jesus. Here are some items I am focusing on to make 2025 a spiritually transformative year that will deepen our relationship with the Lord and align our hearts with His purposes.
1. Spend More Time with the Lord
Time is an amazing gift from God, and we are called to be good stewards of our all our resources, including time. With the fast-paced, busy lives we live, there is a tendency to relegate time with the Lord to the margins. This year, I am intentionally carving out uninterrupted time daily to spend with Jesus—reading his word, prayer, worship, or simply being still in His presence. For me, this time needs to be in the morning, but the important part is making sure this is on the daily “to-do” list. I believe these moments of communion will refresh your spirit and deepen your intimacy with Him.
I would encourage you to find one daily habit you already do in your “free time” and siphon off time from that activity and add to your time with the Lord. In addition, consider a specific space for meeting with the Lord – a place that is quiet and will give you the opportunity to commune with the Lord.
2. Trust the Sovereignty of God
God is an unchanging God. Our trust in Him should be unchanging as well, whether in the valley or on top of the mountain, God is worthy of our full trust. When we trust in His control over all things, we can face 2025 with peace and confidence, no matter what comes our way. Proverbs 3:5-6 is a great reminder to stamp on your heart in 2025, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
In practical terms, I want to let go of the need to control outcomes and surrender my plans to God. In that I will trust that He is working all things together for your good and His glory (Romans 8:28). When challenges arise, instead of worrying, I will run to Him and seek His guidance, knowing He is faithful.
3. Remember
This is open-ended and I could go on for paragraphs about what specifically we can remember but I want to focus in 2025 on remembering who I was – a sinner separated from God. Though still a sinner, God has provided a path back to Him for me. That is big news! But I am so prone to wander and feel self-righteous, as though I did something to earn my salvation. The fact is I didn’t, nor could I have. It was God at the start, it is God in the middle and it is God at the end.
You are Loved! “ but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8
In 2025, I want to remember who I was, what God has done for me and have more grace and mercy for those who God has yet to show such favor upon.
4. Think Eternally
Colossians 3:2 encourages us to “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” And James adds, “yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” – James 4:14.
I want to focus on being in the world but not of the world. It is so easy to be caught up in the here and now, with our focus primarily on material goals or fleeting pleasures. But as followers of Christ, we are called to think eternally. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust[a] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” – Matthew 6-19-20
In this coming year, I plan to make a conscious effort to shift my perspective. Here are a handful of ways I plan to make this shift - by investing in relationships, boldly sharing the gospel, and seeking ways to serve others selflessly.
5. Reading God’s Word
God’s Word is the foundation of our faith and the primary way He speaks to us. I have developed a consistent habit of reading Scripture and that has been essential for my spiritual growth. In 2025, I plan to commit reading through the Bible in a year, as well as adding one “Christian Living” book each quarter. I also plan to do what I had planned in 2024 and that was memorizing Romans 8.
Do not try to boil the ocean here, pick something that is attainable with your current daily schedule. Consistency is key here, make time daily to invest in God’s word. But a quick note of encouragement – if you fall off or fall behind for a day or a week, do not go back to try to catch up, just pick up from the current day and move forward.
And it is important as you read to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal truths that you can apply to your life. Consider journaling your reflections or discussing what you have learned with a trusted friend or small group. The more you immerse yourself in God’s Word, the more it will transform you.
6. Prayer
Prayer is the lifeline of the Christian faith, yet it is often overlooked in the busyness of life. I confess this is an area where I feel I consistently fall short; therefore, I am committing in 2025 to a deeper prayer life by setting aside dedicated times for prayer, praying more with my spouse and family as well as cultivating an attitude of continual conversation with God throughout my day. Philippians 4:6-7 encourages us to bring everything to God in prayer, promising that His peace will guard our hearts and minds.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
I am planning to organize my prayers by types and do those at different intervals, for example, a prayer thanksgiving first thing in the AM, a prayer of worship for who God is after spending time in His word, a prayer of intercession in the early evening and family prayer before bed.
I have had glorious plans to write down my prayers and revisit them to see how God has answered. This year I plan to use a prayer app to keep track of my prayers and subsequent answers.
7. Service
Serving others is one of the most tangible ways to reflect Jesus’ love and compassion. Whether it’s volunteering at your church, helping those in need, or simply offering kindness to a neighbor, acts of service glorify God and strengthen our faith. Mark 10:45 reminds us that “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.”
This year, I plan to look for additional opportunities to serve my church, in my community and beyond. I plan to pray for God to lead me to specific ways where I can a difference and approach each act of service with a heart of humility and gratitude.
Remember, when you serve others, you are ultimately serving Christ.
There you go! My plan to make 2025 the best year for Jesus yet. I want to remind you that no matter where you are in your Christian walk, it is not about perfection, it is about progress; it is not about velocity, it is about trajectory. Dive in and grow closer to the King of kings in 2025!
I pray for this to be a year of transformation, surrender, and joy as you live fully for Jesus.
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God Bless and Be Well in 2025!