Monday, January 2, 2012

A clean slate.....

....turning over a new leaf!!!

No matter what you happen to call it, we've been given a brand new year to "start over" (of course, scripture tells us that HIS mercies are "new" every morning....Lamentations 3:23).  I know there are lots of resolutions and plans and goals being made for 2012.  Pappy and I are joining our church in reading the Bible thru in chronological order this year.  I've not been this excited about anything in quite a long time.  At last count, there were close to 70 people participating in this venture.  We will be going to a 9 week study conducted by our pastor that explains so much about reading the Bible and it's benefits....and even how to read and understand scripture!!!  

When we read the Bible thru in 2010, it became somewhat of a "chore" for me because I took page after page of notes so that I could do my "weekly recap of scripture" on my blog.  Do I regret doing it?  Absolutely not!!!  I want to someday compile my notes into a book to give to our GRANDsons (and future GRANDbabies).  But this time....well, again, I'm sooooo excited to see what God has in store for Pappy....and me....and our church!!!

Yesterday, we started the New Year off in church.  In our SONday school class, our  teacher got off on the topic of "truth".....Pappy and I just smiled at each other because that's my signature word for 2012.  Then, at the beginning of the worship service, there were 3 baptisms.  It was our first time to be a part of the "baptismal committee".  A young lady, who spent quite some time as a missionary in Guatemala, was re-baptized.  She had gone thru the waters at age 8, but wanted to recommit her life to Jesus and you should have heard her testimony....what a blessing to listen to this young lady talk about her walk with the Lord thru her tears of joy.  
Isn't it wonderful how others' joy can spread to us?  
That's the power of the Holy Spirit!!!!  
Nobody can take that away from us....nobody can steal it from us!!!
Praise His Name!!!

The message our pastor brought was from Deuteronomy 17:19-20.  As I took my notes, I made it personal to me....verse 19 - "I must always keep the Bible with me and read it daily as long as I live. That way I will learn to fear the Lord, my God, by obeying all the terms of His instructions and decrees."

So...what about you all?
  How did you start the first day of 2o12?  
  Have you made any goals for this year?  

I'm so looking forward to seeing where God leads me here at Jeremiah 29:11 this year.....as I continue to try my best to blog for HIM!!!

Isaiah 43:18
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

In HIS Most Precious Love....and with mine!!!

4 comments:

  1. Morning Deb! The top of my 2012 January month calendar ....Going Green - Going Raw - 1 2 3 Exercise: My signature word is commitment! I was watching a sermon dvd last night and the pastor was stating how many times the enemy beats us with just our thought lives....a while back the Lord put it upon my heart to arise early 5:00....so I could have time with him, prayer and studying the Word, and blogging ... whatever ...I over the time gradually allowed my "thoughts soldiers" that war againt the will of God, convinced me, I could get up later like 6:00....and I have struggled with time issues ever since.....but last night the truth came darting into my heart and I was wounded ...by truth....This morning I at 5:00 ...arose to a new day ....and it is but 6:28...and plenty of time remains for me! Commitment....to eat correctly, to exercise ...this one will be a hard one ...ugggg when do I have time for that??? anyway God will guide....1-1-12 was a day of rest, and then time spent with my parents...a gift taken for granted most of the time....Happy Monday, the 2nd day of January, the 2nd day of the New Year!

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  2. I have been praying for what my word is to be this year..and when I was talking to Joel I said I think it is surrender and right after in my head I thought OBEDIENCE....what a strange word I felt...so moved on. Today it came up again in Joyce Meyer's talk..obedience. And when I prayed for a third time for confirmation I found it here in the verse you shared in Deu. 17. My word for this year is obedience...I don't know why but God will show me.He already has in one area...I had been planning to read deeply scripture every day...so this verse goes with that too doesn't it. Looking forward to what God teaches me. God bless.

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  3. Hello Deb, sounds like great studies going on with you, great way to start the new year and a great way to start each day throughout the year. Mr D and I started our day (1-1-12) with a devotion and reading Genesis 1..In The Beginning...always great to read how God created all things..{{hugs}}

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  4. Thank you again for your wonderful inspiration.

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Kind words are like honey—
sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.
Proverbs 16:24