The old has gone, the new has come. God established times and seasons for our benefit. The times in which we live today are not like the times of our parents. Everything God created changes.
Our children grow up. We watch them transition through the various stages of their lives. Our jobs change. The places we live change. Gas prices change. We change our hair styles and make up. We change our homes around from time to time. We change our clothes. I believe the Lord wants us to experience new things.
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. ~~ Isaiah 43:19 NIV
The Lord wants us to see how he does new things for us. Can you see it?
In order to see what the Lord does for us, we need to understand Him more. How do we understand God? After all, His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. (Is. 55:11)
We learn more about Him in His word. The answers we need are in His Word. First, we must have Christ as our Lord, who is the Word. Then we have the Holy Spirit who teaches us all things.
His word changes us as we apply it to our lives. When we read and study the Word of God, we see new things. His Word is useful for teaching and correcting. We learn how to live the life God calls us to live. The Lord wants us to let go of our old self, the self that desires the ways of the world and become a new creation living a victorious, abundant life through Jesus Christ.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Cor 5:17)
A new creation—made over and transformed by His Word. My desire this year is to be transformed by His word, to be a new creation. To be more of what He called me to be, I will be in His Word more.
I want to challenge each person who reads this to commit to spending more time with the Lord in HIS word this year. Last year I read the Bible through chronologically. It was the first time I ever read the whole Bible. I cannot express to you enough how much it improved my life. I grew. I confess there were growing pains and pruning seasons, but it was all for the better.
I found this Read the Bible in One Year web site. This site has five options for reading the Bible through. You can read it from beginning to end, chronologically, historically, Old and New, or New and Old. I believe there are nineteen different English versions and numerous other languages available. Or there are many reading plans available through various ministries. I choose to read the Bible again chronologically as I am a sequential learner. It makes sense to me to read events in the order in which it happened. I encourage you to choose a method that appeals to you.
Whatever our preference, I encourage each one of us to read the Bible daily. Let’s make time daily to spend with the Lord in His word and in prayer. I prefer to wake up early in the mornings to meet with Him. Others prefer to set aside time at lunch or before bed.
Let’s commit in 2009 to grow into the new creation, letting go of the old and experience the new thing He has for us this year.
Please let me know how you commit to read God’s word and spend time with Him daily. May the Lord bless you more than you can think or imagine in this new year! (Eph. 3:20-21)
Engrafted by His Grace--
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7 gracious comments:
I am so thankful that His Word has changed me in huge ways! I am so very much not the person I was 10 years ago--even my sweet hubby will tell you that.
This year I am sticking to what has worked in the past for me and that is in-depth Bible study. To that I am adding Scripture memorization with Beth and the siestas.
Hope you are doing well.
Leah
I am doing the LPM blog challenge to memorize two scriptures a month. I will also be doing the Romans 12 study. As for daily study, its pretty random if I haven't chosen a book to go through. Today I read 2 Timothy 1, 2, and 3. 2 Tim 3:16-17 is going to be the next verse I memorize. It says
"16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
And wow, that kind of goes along with what you are talking about. Cool!
Shonda,
I'm doing the Cover to Cover again with some other Siestas this year since I didn't join until around March of 08 so I wanted to do it again this year all the way through. I have been praying for a sold-out-for-Jesus year! He is calling me to stop trying to just rely on Him in my life, and to live for Him!
Blessings
Michelle
Amen!! Sunday I finished reading the Bible through for the third time. Bible reading is something I truly enjoy. I have decided to change my reading around because for some reason Jeremiah is so hard for me to get through. I'm going to start reading one chapter each day so I know I don't get burnt out. Usually I would start reading Jeremiah how the guide said then I would slowly start reading another book and then I would read a chapter of Jeremiah here or there. So I plan to read one chapter each day of Jeremiah so I can stick with it and also read besides my chapter of Jeremiah to read Genesis and then go to the next book and so forth. I know it will be a little off, but I don't want to be at the end of year trying to get through Jeremiah.
Shonda, Our pastor put a Bible reading chart in our bulletin on Sunday. I have started reading and marking off the chapters I have read. This is a good thing!
So how are you reading the Bible this year? me, chronologically.
I miss you but have so little time for blog reading...
I love this verse in Isaiah...it's been going through my mind so much lately.
thanks for the online bible study love it!! marina
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