And the Year Begins...

The LORD did not choose you and lavish his love on you because you were larger or greater than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations!
It was simply because the LORD loves you, and because he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the LORD rescued you with such amazing power from your slavery under Pharaoh in Egypt.
Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and constantly loves those who love him and obey his commands.

Duet 7:7-9 NLT


As many of you know, in January instead of making any kind of resolutions for the year, I ask God to give me a verse that we can "work" on for the year. The above verses are what God has clearly given me. So now I will dig into the verse and break it apart to understand it's full meaning. Often what happens is that God takes this verse and begins to use it throughout the year, and I will come back to it often as a reminder of what He is doing, or why etc...

Just a quick look at this verse makes me excited because I see so many wonderful things in it like God's love for me, His faithfulness, and being a God who keeps His covenants. But this verse is in the middle of God telling His people that they need to purge themselves of idols, and keep themselves away from evil.

So I do not know what this year will bring. I can only imagine that it might have something to do with addressing the idols I have that still have not been purged. Maybe it will be a year of coming to a fuller understanding of God's love, His faithfulness in keeping His covenants. Honestly I do not know, it could be something I have not fully seen yet because God is not ready to show me.

This is what I do know. This year I will pursue the heart of God. I will continue praying to know and understand His heart and love for those around me. I will pray that I continue learning to die to self. I will pray that God would search me and see if there be any wickedness in me and then I pray that in obedience I would allow Him to rid it from me.

This year I will continue on a year that will not be easy but will be most rewarding. I will continue on a path that at times can seem dark and lonely and at other times be most beautiful. I pray in confidence, for I know that God desires me to walk toward holiness and righteousness, that He will continue to finish the work He began in me long ago.

So it will a year committed to my God whatever may come.

5 comments:

  1. That's a great verse for the year. I appreciate you post today too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am committing to Him this year also. I am really going to try to get myself more involved in the church ministry. I do here and there, but I am not too comfortable putting myself out there. I am going to work on it this year though. In fact I am joining some new groups at my church and hope to get involved in their ministries.

    You picked a great verse. I pray that this year that you have committed to God brings you great things to come.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I absolutely love the verse the Lord has given you for the year, it is definitely full of good stuff! One of my goals this year is memorizing 2 new verses a month, I am thinking this may be my verse to memorize for the 2nd half of January...

    I look forward to hearing how God is working in your life this year and the new things He reveals and teaches to you!

    Blessings!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi madame Sharon.
    First,Happy new year 2009.Your blog so nice.I like it..second, Absolutly, we need the God's strength so that we ability to walk and work this year. You have inspired me madame.Keep on fire in the holy spirit.JBU abundantly.
    Warm regards, from Jakarta, Indonesia.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is a great verse. I have to work on memorization of verses as well. I just seems to be very difficult for me for some reason or other.

    ReplyDelete

Leave me some joy...