Starting the Year Out Right!!!

     The most important thing that we can do for

ourselves, for our family and for our homeschool, not

to mention the people around us, is to keep our

relationship with Jesus Christ strong and pure.

    The new year is a great time to make sure that we

have our priorities straight. And to implement some

planning and scheduling to ensure that we are giving

the Lord the time that He deserves, and that we

need.  John 15:8 says. " I am the vine, ye are the

branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the

same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye

can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast

forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather

them, and cast them into the fire, and they are

burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in

you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done

unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear

much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”

     As Christians, we need to develop our daily walk

with Christ. When we have a strong daily walk with

our Lord we will find His, provision, His protection,

His power and His principles. Those are all things

that will help us live a life that will bring glory

to the Lord. Isn't that what it is all about anyway?

Read in Matthew 7:7-11, in it you will find what the

Lord desires. He desires to communicate to us. We

need that communication! He also desires to hear

from us. He also desires to bless us and work for us!

That's right! God is so good! We serve an awesome,

wonderful, loving faithful God!

      Knowing all of this, why wouldn't every Christian

throw themselves into developing their personal

walk. I believe that the easiest way to put it would

be to say that it is because of sin. However, lets

dissect that a little bit. Often times, when we are

knee deep in our own world, our own flesh, we

cannot see “the forest through the trees”, in other

words, we cannot see that we are in need.

     In our ignorance of our need, there is sometimes an

underlying desire to avoid conviction. Let's face it,

none of us enjoy getting our toes stepped on. However,

this is a gift the Lord has given us. His living Word, that

meets us exactly where we are. So if you are spending

time in your bible and prayer, you can guarantee, the

Lord will convict you of something! I happens to me

everyday!

     Sometimes, it is because we are not disciplined in our

schedule. I have heard it said, “That which is

scheduled, gets done”. I have found that to be true. I

may have the best intentions, however, if I do not

schedule in the time to get it done, time seems to just

run away from me. And I have found that another

reason that happens, is because, we misplace our

priorities! We busy ourselves with good works and we

do not make the time to spend with our Lord.

Remember Mary and Martha. I have heard the quote

“ If you are too busy to read your bible and pray, then

you are busier than God wants you to be” I have really

tried to remember that. If we are saying yes to, too

many things and our relationship with our Lord suffers,

then something will have to give.

    Okay, now that we have looked at the importance of

developing a daily walk, what concrete things do you

need to do to really start this journey?

    Let's start with your Bible. Bible reading is essential to

knowing God. Psalm 119:11, “ Thy word have I hid in

mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Not

only will we not sin against God, even more, we will

learn how to live a life to glorify Him. Further down in

that same chapter of Psalms, it says, “ Great peace

have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend

them.” (vs 165) Whether we are talking about our own

family, or the people we interact with outside our

family, what a gift to have that “great peace” and not

to be offended when things do not go as they should.

       Next we need Prayer time.  I have become a pro

at the “popcorn” prayers. You know the ones 

 I am talking about. The ones you send up as you need

them, or as you think of it. But, how is

your prayer life? Do you have a

designated prayer time? Prayer place?

Prayer list? Here is a great little acrostic

you can use to help you create a prayer

list. ACTS, A= Adoration, 1 Chronicles

23:30, Tell God how awesome He is. And

how much you love Him. C= Confession,

Proverbs 28.13, God knows, but He wants

you to come to Him. T=Thanksgiving,

Colossians 4:2, how does that song go??

Count your blessings, name them one by

one. The Lord is truly glorified when we

praise Him for all He has done for us! 1 Timothy 2:1-2, in the

S=Supplication, Webster's 1828 dictionary, supplication is

defined as petition, earnest request.

Again, the Lord knows of all of our

needs, but what does that verse say?

“..ye have not, because ye ask not.” 

  Now the third ingredient to developing

(James 4:2)  

your daily walk, is devotional reading.

 1 Timothy 4:13, “Til I come, giveMy only caution with

attendance to reading, to exhortation,

to doctrine.”

devotional reading, is to remember to try

the spirits. Know the author/s, know

what they believe, so you know from

what perspective they will write. And

always read your devotional material

with your bible in hand, or at least at

your fingertips. If you ever have a

question, go to the bible and see what

the Lord has to say.

    Now down to the brass tacks, how to

implement all we have discussed. First,

choose a daily devotion time. For some

that is first thing in the morning or

perhaps the evening works better for

you.

     And please, do not kick yourself if you miss a

day! Pick yourself up, and dust yourself off,

and get right back on that bicycle! The Lord

will be there! Next, define a schedule for

reading. I have some websites listed below

with some great bible reading schedules.

If you have already carved out your bible

reading time, how about starting a journal to

go with your bible reading. You could write

down what stood out to you in your reading

for that day. Or what the Lord is working on

you with. This is something that I am going to

add to my bible reading this year.

      Next, choose your quiet place for devotions.

That arm chair in the living room, or the

kitchen table, or at your desk sipping a cup of

tea. Make your prayer list and begin a prayer

journal of prayers. Write down your prayers,

and then write down how God answered those

prayers. Watch how God is working in your

life and in the lives of those around you! And

lastly, find a Christian friend that you can be

accountable to. Let them know the area you

want to work on this year, and meet with

them for a cup of coffee or a soda, and let

them know how you are doing.

      What is it that is keeping you from creating

that time for God? The TV? The computer?

Magazines? Even shaving just a few minutes

from what you are already doing, or waking

up a little bit early, you will be able to carve

out the time you need to have that

relationship with God. While, it is much easier

to read, when the house is totally quiet, I

would encourage you, to whenever possible to

let your kids see you reading your bible and

praying. In addition to your family devotion

time, or Bible studies for school. The

children's faith grows as they see you live out

your faith.

Praying that 2009 will be a fruitful season

for you and your families!

God Bless You!

http://www.wholesomewords.org/family/bibleread/biblerea.html

http://biblereadingschedule.com/Welcome/

http://www.thebible.net/read/sched.html