Marching into your near year with goals?

(Wanna talk about maybe biting off more than you can chew?)

Every year about this time, we have a tendency to be very reflective and motivated to make some new goals for ourselves.  Something about that calendar change makes us feel like there is a fresh start to be had. His mercies are actually new EVERY morning and we get a fresh start EVERY day with Jesus, but I completely understand our tendency to want to make changes with a new calendar year.

I take time every year to ask the Lord what He would have me focus on for the new year and I try to make a flexible plan to move forward with those goals.  Many times life happens and …..well, no, most of the time life happens and things don’t quite turn out as I would have thought.  Plans change.  Goals have to be adjusted.  I can either be frustrated by that or accept that my days are in His hands and trust Him.  The point is to seek the Lord in our days.

One thing that makes my heart sing each year is noticing others purpose in their heart to read God’s Word daily!  For me there has been nothing more transformative and life giving than my coffee and Jesus time every morning as the sun comes up.  Randy and I have given our lives trying to teach others how to understand the Bible and encourage them to seek Him with all their hearts.

However, I also hear so many people get frustrated because shortly into their “check the daily box” reading plan they’ve fallen behind, they don’t understand what they are reading, and they get disheartened and give up.  

I’m all for reading the Bible through in a year….if you are hungry for that and ready for it and God is calling you to it!  I’ve done it many years and every time I do it, I understand the Word and the Author on a new level.  But, guess what….I do not do it every year.  Shocking, I know.

When I was home educating my children I learned that so many things repeat throughout their education and I was encouraged to understand that so much of what they were learning was just setting up a good foundation which could be layered upon in future years.  They might study the same portion of history in elementary, middle, and high school but the depth at which they studied and could be understand would grow over time because they incrementally learned more and more as they grew.

I’m not sure why we often don’t apply this same principle to Bible study.  

So MANY times I think people have the best intentions but they are actually biting off more than they can chew and it has nothing to do with how much time it takes.  We ALL have the same hours in our day.  We ALL have different demands.  We could ALL prioritize reading chapter upon chapter of scripture daily.

My question is, “Is that strategy what will bring about the most growth in me this year?  Is that even what God is calling me to?  Where in the Word does it say “Thou shalt consume the entire Bible annually?”

Why are we putting this pressure on ourselves?

Some of you may very well need to do that very thing.  You are hungry and ready and the time is right!  GO FOR IT! You’ll be glad you did!  I’ve done it many times!

But to others, can I just say, choose something that begins to build a foundation that God is calling YOU to for THIS year?

I use a Bible app and last year I read through the entire Old Testament.  I had more time to digest each book because I wasn’t trying to also read the entire New Testament at the same time.  This year I’m planning to slowly read through the New Testament with a  brand new Bible to mark up and absorb the commentary within it day by day.  I’ll also be studying Elijah using a book by a fabulous Bible teacher over the next 7 weeks.  I ordered the book and audio files and I’m going to take a deep dive into that and ask the Lord to use that tool to teach me on my journey.  After that, I’ll pray and see what comes next.  I love reading the Word with the Holy Spirit alone being my teacher.  I also love sitting under trusted teachers who have studied and meditated on the truths within and feeding off of what they’ve been given.  There is a beautiful balance for me in that practice.

My encouragement to you is to pray about what the Lord would have YOU do for this next year.  Set some goals!  Allow the Lord to transform you by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).

But, don’t set yourself up to be frustrated because you bite off more than you are ready to chew from the get go!  Stretch yourself to grow but ask the Lord what that looks like for YOU!

One of my FAVORITE things about Jesus was the way He met people RIGHT where they were and encouraged them to follow Him.  They all started out from different places with different backgrounds and different issues, but as they followed Him, He transformed their lives.

You be you. Meet Jesus right where you are and take YOUR next steps with excitement and confidence in your Savior to take YOU to YOUR next level.  Your journey is uniquely yours.  Don’t look to the right or left wondering what everyone else is doing.  Put your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith. He will order YOUR steps.  

ENJOY the journey!  His yoke is easy!  His burden is light!  Pursue the Lord with your heart and mind and resist the urge to simply approach the Bible academically and check off the boxes.  

Seek His FACE!!!!!!!

“Now, devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God….” 1 Chron. 22:19

(If I can help you with a strategy that fits you for this next year, please reach out to me.  I have so many resources available through Walk Thru the Bible among other wonderful tools that I can suggest to you to get you started.  It would be my absolute joy to help.)