01/06/2026
A Recommended Goal for 2026 (For Those Who Consider Such Things)
A new year often brings talk of new beginnings or fresh starts—new commitments, renewed resolve, and goals both old and new.
Maybe it’s a new diet. That’s good. Caring for the body matters.
Maybe it’s a new workout plan. Also good. Physical discipline can strengthen us physically, mentally, and even emotionally.
But all of these, good as they are, are ultimately temporary helps addressing a greater need. When our physical, mental, and emotional health are in order, we are better equipped to serve others—but they cannot provide lasting purpose on their own.
So here is my challenge, especially to professing Christians:
If you are not already doing so, make faithful church attendance and commitment a goal for you and your family in 2026.
Find a biblically sound church. Commit to it. Be present. Encourage and be encouraged. Sing theologically rich praise. Pray with and for one another. Sit under faithful, Christ-centered preaching—not self-centered speeches.
I cannot overstate how God has blessed me through His Church. Through seasons of joy—raising our four sons with my wife Amanda in the life of the church—and through seasons of service to our local community, church attendance and service were always among our highest priorities.
And through the deepest grief of my life—the loss of my wife Amanda and my son J.R.—God used His Church to sustain me. Through prayer, presence, and love, He held me up when I could not stand on my own.
This longing for “new beginnings” comes from something deeper in all of us—a yearning for true joy, purpose, fulfillment, and love. These were lost at the Fall in Genesis 3, when sin fractured our relationship with God. Yet we were not left without hope.
God promised redemption. In Genesis 3:15—the Protoevangelium—He promised that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head. This is the first gospel promise, fulfilled in Christ’s death and resurrection.
That promise unfolds throughout Scripture and finds its fulfillment at the Cross, where Christ reconciled His people to God. In Him, we have been made new, and therefore we now rest—made righteous by grace alone (2 Corinthians 5:17,21).
If you’re looking for a true fresh start, look where God has promised to work: in Christ, through His Church.
By His Grace,
Pastor Ricky Hill
