Faith Words: Good In, Good Out

Don't you just love fresh starts?  Every day, every moment, we have an opportunity to start again.  In a bad mood?  You can decide to drop it and start fresh.  Making bad choices?  You can decide to stop and turn to better choices.

So here we stand on the threshold of a new day - a new year. So far, everything is looking good.  How can I keep it that way?  That's the million dollar question, isn't it?

As you make your New Year's Resolutions, consider making memorizing scripture one of them.  I got into to this about four years ago when I happened upon one of Beth Moore's blog posts on her Living Proof website.  I've patterned my annual plan after hers.  Not very original but it works.

Here's how:  I'll write a new post on this blog on or about the 1st and 15th of each month, including my memory verse for that two-week period at the end of the post. You respond with a comment to my post that contains just your name and the verse you've chosen for that same two-week period.  Please include the version and location of the verse.  About a year from now, we'll come together to celebrate the completion of our year's journey and we'll share our verses with each other by quoting them aloud. Our goal is to post 24 verses during the year (one for the 1st and one for the 15th of each month) and memorize them. When we get together for our celebration, be prepared to quote at least 10 of the 24 verses. With all that's going on in our world today, a timely verse from God's Word really can make a difference in my outlook.  

Recently, our plumbing backed up.  Not just one drain. Nope.  All of them.  With a situation like that, you have to be careful about what goes down because it's probably going to come back out somewhere.  As my grandson says:  "Disgusting!"

That's kind of how I see our world.  So much gross and disgusting stuff is out there and society is saturated with it.  Now there's no place for it all to go but out.  We see evil and meanness erupting everywhere.  We used to be able to say:  "Not in my town, not in my neighborhood." But not anymore.  Every town, every neighborhood, every family has been touched by it in some way.  Innocence is rare.

How can we guard our hearts in a world like ours?  We can't ignore it.  But we can be very careful about what we allow in.  What are we reading?  What are we watching? Don't fool yourself into believing you will be unaffected by what you take in.  You can't avoid reality but you can be very careful about your entertainment and relaxation selections.

Choosing to read and memorize God's Word will help fill our hearts and minds with good things.  When good comes in, good flows out.  Not only will we be guarding our own hearts, but we'll be ready to bless others around us with the hope and peace that God's Word offers.

So, this year, get into the Word.  Whether you memorize verses or read it daily, get into the Word.  This is one New Year's Resolution that has the power to make a difference - a real difference - a lasting difference.

God bless you in this new year.

Love,

Patrice

Isaiah 59:21 (NIV)

"As for Me, this is My covenant with them," says the LORD.  "My Spirit, who is on you, and My words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever," says the LORD.