Jesus came to live life with us, not because we’re perfect but because we’re broken and in need of His love. As Pastor Judi noted, God doesn’t run away from our mess; He meets us in it. Jesus didn’t preach “hustle culture” or self-reliance—He offered rest and a new way of living, free from striving.

Pastor Judi introduced “REST” as a practical guide:

• R: Receive His invitation—it’s not a demand but a gift.
• E: Everything you do is spiritual—even the small, physical things.
• S: Stop striving; this isn’t yours to fix alone. You are not enough—but God is.
• T: Take His yoke—let Jesus carry the heavy load with you.

As we step into 2025, imagine a year where you release the weight of “figuring it all out” and instead allow God to do the heavy lifting. Living a worthy life doesn’t mean having all the answers; it means trusting the One who does.

Philippians 1:27
Life Worthy of the Gospel
27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit,[a] striving together as one for the faith of the gospel.

John 1:14
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Acts 17:28
28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[a] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

Matthew 6:25-34
Do Not Worry
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.