A Challenge for the New Year

With my whole heart have I sought thee:  O let me not wander from thy commandments.

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. 

(Psalm 119:10-11 KJV, emphasis mine)

*Note:  This is an edited and revised post that I have shared the last few years to kick off the New Year.

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As I work on this post the New Year is just underway—a fresh start from God.  Truthfully, each new day is a fresh start from God.  The New Year gives us the opportunity to adopt new behaviors, set new goals.  Hopefully, the new behaviors will be beneficial to us personally and to others!  The new calendars we opened four days ago are a tangible sign of this fresh start.  What will this year hold?  Only God knows for sure; whatever it holds, we can still learn, grow, and develop in our walk with the Lord. 

Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.  

(Psalm 119:18 KJV)

The New Year also affords us the opportunity to reflect on the past year and look forward to all the possibilities that it holds.  Now is a wonderful time to either begin or renew or deepen our relationship with Jesus.  What can you do to grow in the Lord this year?  What is the Lord calling you to do or to not do? 

As you prayerfully discern what God is directing you to do this year, I hope that you will commit to reading the Bible from cover-to-cover in 2018.  This is my New Year challenge to you! 

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Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.  (Psalm 119:105 KJV)

Any time spent in God’s Word is never wasted.  God’s Word’s goes out and does not return to Him void (see Isaiah 55:11).  The dividends are amazing!  Reading the whole of God’s Word allows us to get to know the heart of our Heavenly Father and to begin to see themes, interconnections, and more with ease.  One of the perks to continually reading the Bible (beyond beloved passages) is it will help you find passages with ease in a variety of settings.  The more you read the Word of God, the more you will see connections between the Old and New Testaments.  Another perk to Bible reading is doing much better in Bible trivia games!

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.  

(Hosea 4:6 KJV, emphasis mine)

Keep in mind there are many atheists and agnostics who have read the Bible cover-to-cover multiple times.  We, His people, should hunger for the Word in such a way that we will want to read all of it!

The prophet, Hosea, in the above passage is speaking God’s heart to his people; I believe it is applicable to God’s people today.  To not hunger for God’s Word says much about the state of our heart—much like our bodies not wanting food when we are ill.  Sadly, I know of pastors who see no need to read the whole of the Word of God—this grieves my heart for them and the people in their respective churches.  Thankfully, my last pastor and current pastor read the whole of the Word and encourage their people to do the same.

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I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.  (Psalm 119:176 KJV)

It is my heart’s sincere desire that you are setting time aside in your daily schedule to commune with God and that you are growing in your relationship with Him.  God loves you so much and desires nothing more than relationship with you.  He loves you so much, in fact, He is crazy about you!  Keeping your eyes on the goal (prize), will help you stay focused and not get off track.  A word of caution: be kind to yourself, realizing that some days or weeks will not be so great; things will go wrong—give yourself the grace you deserve—give yourself the grace you would give to others.  Be sure to encourage yourself over how far you have come.

Time?  Yes, this does take time.  However, if we consider the amount of time we spend on social media or mindlessly watching television or reading books that do not edify; the cost is minuscule.  The cost is more than worth it in the end.

If my grandma, who only had a sixth grade education could do it; so can you!  Grandma Emma made that commitment; she lived without many of the modern conveniences we have, therefore, nearly everything took her much longer to accomplish.  Her life was not an easy one; she loved God and those around her.

Personal Photo: Grandma Emma and me--my first Christmas

Since 2005, I have read the Bible from cover-to-cover at least once each year, if not more!  One time, I read the through the Bible in ninety days (and even managed to read the New Testament twice in that period!).

Who will take me up on this little challenge?  I will cheer you on; you can do this!  Moreover, this is where supportive relationships (accountability) with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ are so helpful.  Our relationships allow us to lend a helping, supportive hand to a sister or brother who is hurting or struggling; we can also be on the receiving end of the help and support of others.  How about we support and encourage each other?  

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Why not make 2018 the year that you allow Christ to change you—making you more and more like Him?  Invite the Holy Spirit to fill you and deepen your walk with the Lord.  What is holding you back?  I want to encourage you to commit to opening yourself to what God wants to give you.  You may find that you will go places and do things you never thought that you would do!  Keep on reading and studying God’s Word and praying!

A variety of plans exist that you can select from to guide you in this endeavor.  If you happen to fall behind, please do not get discouraged—keep on going and get caught up when you are able.  Moreover, apps exist to help you read, study, and understand the Word of God—one such app that is also accessible through computers is YouVersion. For more about YouVersion see here and here.  With YouVersion you can connect with friends and others for support and encouragement.  

Here is a link that will take you to a site that gives a variety of plans to read through the Bible in a year.  Bible Reading Plans  For some other ideas please pursue the content in the right side bar of this blog, particularly:  50 Day Spiritual Adventure 2015 and 50 Day Spiritual Adventure Fall 2016. 

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What are you looking forward to most in reading God’s Word this year?  How can I encourage you?

Please join with me in prayer:

Dear Lord, thank You for the gift of life and for the gift of another New Year and for all the possibilities that it holds.  Help us to be always faithful to You—doing what You would have us to do each day.  Deepen our longing for You, so that we will press in and not quit until we have all that You have to offer us.  Instill deep within us a hunger for Your Word that is not easily satisfied.  Encourage us to commit to and keep that commitment to read the whole of Your Word this year; we can only do it with Your help.  Come Holy Spirit; enlighten the eyes of our understanding, as we read the Word You inspired.  In Jesus’ name, we pray.  Amen.

From My Heart to Yours,

Kim  

Happy New Year! 

May God bless you richly throughout 2018!

May 2018 be the year to give more of your life to the Lord.