I have never thought much about December 31st to be honest. Or January 1st. I have never, ever put extra thought into what I want or who I want to become in a new year. I've never gotten really resolved. I've never set an amount of weight to lose or a new job to get. I've never thought about it. To me, it's always just been another day out of the 365 that takes us around the sun. Not that I knock on people who get real and resolve to change. I support that- you go, girl (or boy). It's just never been for me.
But this year, I want to set it on my heart and mind to remember God's faithfulness for 365 days straight. That's not a resolution, I know. Not really. My goal has nothing to do with the amount of miles I'll run or the pictures I'll take or the places I'll go. It's so simple, yet so hard: remember His faithfulness. Remember. His. Faithfulness.
I own this book by a well known Christian author called 'gods at war'. Kyle Idleman wrote it among other books. He makes the point that all of our sin is rooted in idolatry. That the base of everything we do that goes against God comes from the fact that we value something else more... that there's something bigger that is taking up our hearts. Amen, brother. I totally get his point. I get his point because I see it in my own life- when I choose to watch a movie over sitting down with my bible, it's because I want to watch the movie more. Because I've chosen to like it more. When I say angry words to my friends and family, it's because I'd rather let out my temper than think of what God's Word says about it. When I give a guy my heart more than I give it to God, it's because I think that guy is more valuable. So many of my choices are rooted in idolatry. There are so many things that I choose over God because I hold them of more value.
But I just think that if I could wake up in the morning and remember who God is and what He has done, I wouldn't want things over Him. In the past 3 weeks I've read the Pentateuch. I finished it yesterday. Society and Satan will do so much to tell you that the bible is flimsy and useless and empty. It's a lie. The bible is fatty and rich. The Pentateuch is so good and essential. It's full.
The first five books of the bible tell the story of the Israelites, God's chosen people. He rescued them from Egypt, delivered them from slavery, led them through the wildnerness and to a promised land reserved only for them. He took down armies, scattered their enemies and made a way for them to get to safety. One second the Israelites would raise their hands and praise God and promise to follow Him and love Him for all their hearts, and the next they were complaining. They would complain about the food... at first they didn't have any and then when they got fresh manna daily, they complained that they were tired of it. They'd consistently say that they were following God, and then they would disobey all His commands. They'd throw insults at Him and believe that He had rescued them just to kill them. They were more moody and emotional than a girl pmsing. Sometimes it was painful to read through. God continually instructed them to remember His faithfulness. He told them to write it on their foreheads, to meditate on it, to think about it when they woke up and before they went to bed and to tell their kids about Him and His law.
I think that The LORD knew that if the Israelites could just take their eyes off themselves and their needs and look at Him and everything He'd done for Him, they'd trust Him. If they could just remember who this God was that they followed, they would keep following Him.
In 2016, that is my heartbeat. Day in and day out, I just want to remember who God has always been. So in moments where I am struggling or questioning I can believe that God has a better plan than I know. He's got a better dream for me. He's running the universe and He always has. He has been faithful to His word and to His promises and He always will be. For 365 days I want to fix my eyes on Jesus and His cross. I want to lift my head up and focus my mind on heaven.
Leaving home this time around for this mission trip was really hard. I hurt and struggled in ways I didn't imagine. I missed (miss) home so badly somedays. But in all this, believing that The LORD has a purpose makes everything easier. When I look at His faithfulness and all the stuff He's done for me and when I read His Word and it says that He is never changing, it makes my heart skip a beat. It gives me hope. A wild, unreserved hope and happiness. It's beautiful. When I do this, I can be expectant for Him to still be good even when I don't understand what's happening.
In scripture, God always tells us to lift our eyes up and look to Him. And He must say that because He knows that if we would just remember His faithfulness, we wouldn't be so painfully disobedient and wayward.
Would you do this with me? Every day, every morning and night, would you remember God's faithfulness? When you get frantic and stuck in situations and walk down dark tunnels, can you remember all He's done? Remember the 5,000 Jesus fed? Remember how God created you and saved you and loves you? Remember the cross and the resurrection that came after? Remember when He provided for you? Remember when He came through before? Remember when you doubted and He still showed up? Paint it on your door, tack it on your wall, tape it in your car. Remember His faithfulness. Do it with me. For the rest of the year, let's remember who He is.
But this year, I want to set it on my heart and mind to remember God's faithfulness for 365 days straight. That's not a resolution, I know. Not really. My goal has nothing to do with the amount of miles I'll run or the pictures I'll take or the places I'll go. It's so simple, yet so hard: remember His faithfulness. Remember. His. Faithfulness.
I own this book by a well known Christian author called 'gods at war'. Kyle Idleman wrote it among other books. He makes the point that all of our sin is rooted in idolatry. That the base of everything we do that goes against God comes from the fact that we value something else more... that there's something bigger that is taking up our hearts. Amen, brother. I totally get his point. I get his point because I see it in my own life- when I choose to watch a movie over sitting down with my bible, it's because I want to watch the movie more. Because I've chosen to like it more. When I say angry words to my friends and family, it's because I'd rather let out my temper than think of what God's Word says about it. When I give a guy my heart more than I give it to God, it's because I think that guy is more valuable. So many of my choices are rooted in idolatry. There are so many things that I choose over God because I hold them of more value.
But I just think that if I could wake up in the morning and remember who God is and what He has done, I wouldn't want things over Him. In the past 3 weeks I've read the Pentateuch. I finished it yesterday. Society and Satan will do so much to tell you that the bible is flimsy and useless and empty. It's a lie. The bible is fatty and rich. The Pentateuch is so good and essential. It's full.
The first five books of the bible tell the story of the Israelites, God's chosen people. He rescued them from Egypt, delivered them from slavery, led them through the wildnerness and to a promised land reserved only for them. He took down armies, scattered their enemies and made a way for them to get to safety. One second the Israelites would raise their hands and praise God and promise to follow Him and love Him for all their hearts, and the next they were complaining. They would complain about the food... at first they didn't have any and then when they got fresh manna daily, they complained that they were tired of it. They'd consistently say that they were following God, and then they would disobey all His commands. They'd throw insults at Him and believe that He had rescued them just to kill them. They were more moody and emotional than a girl pmsing. Sometimes it was painful to read through. God continually instructed them to remember His faithfulness. He told them to write it on their foreheads, to meditate on it, to think about it when they woke up and before they went to bed and to tell their kids about Him and His law.
I think that The LORD knew that if the Israelites could just take their eyes off themselves and their needs and look at Him and everything He'd done for Him, they'd trust Him. If they could just remember who this God was that they followed, they would keep following Him.
In 2016, that is my heartbeat. Day in and day out, I just want to remember who God has always been. So in moments where I am struggling or questioning I can believe that God has a better plan than I know. He's got a better dream for me. He's running the universe and He always has. He has been faithful to His word and to His promises and He always will be. For 365 days I want to fix my eyes on Jesus and His cross. I want to lift my head up and focus my mind on heaven.
Leaving home this time around for this mission trip was really hard. I hurt and struggled in ways I didn't imagine. I missed (miss) home so badly somedays. But in all this, believing that The LORD has a purpose makes everything easier. When I look at His faithfulness and all the stuff He's done for me and when I read His Word and it says that He is never changing, it makes my heart skip a beat. It gives me hope. A wild, unreserved hope and happiness. It's beautiful. When I do this, I can be expectant for Him to still be good even when I don't understand what's happening.
In scripture, God always tells us to lift our eyes up and look to Him. And He must say that because He knows that if we would just remember His faithfulness, we wouldn't be so painfully disobedient and wayward.
Would you do this with me? Every day, every morning and night, would you remember God's faithfulness? When you get frantic and stuck in situations and walk down dark tunnels, can you remember all He's done? Remember the 5,000 Jesus fed? Remember how God created you and saved you and loves you? Remember the cross and the resurrection that came after? Remember when He provided for you? Remember when He came through before? Remember when you doubted and He still showed up? Paint it on your door, tack it on your wall, tape it in your car. Remember His faithfulness. Do it with me. For the rest of the year, let's remember who He is.