Painting A New Picture
January 19, 2010
Taking the time to reflect on the past year in hopes of carving out a better future has the ability to halt you in your tracks. Coming face to face with the unpleasant gaps in your character and personality is not always a pretty picture. So, why you might ask, did we encourage you to take inventory on where youve been and the person you currently are? Quite simply, it begins the process towards change by identifying your starting point.Фундамент под печь
Today we turn our attention to a different picture. This is a picture that propels you forward. Rather than attempting to avoid the person you were or stopping a negative behavior, we want you to begin painting a picture of the person you want to become. This image must go deeper than outward appearances by focusing on the changes that need to take place deep inside your soul.
FOR THOSE THAT HAVE ALREADY PICKED THEIR WORD FOR 2010
This project is not about quick-fixes or putting a band-aid on a bad behavior. It is intended to produce long-term results. We want you to have expectations that your one word will become embedded in your character and begin to flow out of you naturally. For this to take place, it requires putting yourself in a position where God can transform you. People do not grow in the image of Christ by accident or osmosis. When you take the time and intention to focus on your word, change begins to seep into your character.
Our last post posed a question regarding the apprehension that we all feel when faced with change. Somehow in the midst of that fear there is a part of hope and excitement that resides within us. Wed love to hear your response to the following question: What excites you the most about the road ahead of you with your One Word?
Growth and Wisdom! I know that with this word “STILL” I will learn to listen to the Lord’s voice better and to learn to turn to Him for my situations more than other people. Yes it is very important to seek advise esspecailly if it is a life changing situation, but for me this will teach me to not leave God out of the equation. It is teaching me already to REST in Him. To soak in His word and let Him minister to my heart. Then to be able to pour out into others what he has poured into me. I long to be more like Christ every day 🙂
Thrilled that I have a clear focus through the prism of my word Pure that allows me to measure my daily life. I love the sanskrit root of the word Pure “punati – he cleanes”. I am humbly asking God to cleanse me daily.
My word for the year is commitment: I have decided to renew my commitment to serving the Lord wholeheartedly. It is through my commitment to love others, serve others, learn more about my Lord, to doing the right thing in 2010, to put Christ first in my life, to have faith that everything will work out according to the will of God in his due season, to stay committed to spending time with my family, to remain true to Gods word, and to stay in prayer before God. Commitment to follow through and doing what I say I will do with a willing heart.
My word is strength/discipline. I haven’t chosen which one will be The One Word but I will strive towards both this coming year. I love this website btw. Ok so what excites me the most is, how challenging it will be to muster up strength to say no to all the temptation that sorrounds me everyday, and strength to say no to things I don’t want but do anyway to satisfy the wants of others. I need to be disciplined in my own life and know generosity does not mean giving others what they want but rather it means giving all of myself to help build the living body of Christ. So Discipline won out…
I am most excited about developing deep heart knowledge of God in my study and pursuit of humility.
I am excited about realigning my focus on others and their needs. To see God move in their lives and for them to be healed, restored, provided for, and set free. And knowing that it is not because of me, but because of Christ. I am also excited about growing closer to God through this experience.
My word is Balance. As a mother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, aspiring author, friend and the list goes on…I always feel lacking in every area of my life. I get one area under control and I lose control in two others…I crave balance in my life to lead me to peace and a more intimate relationship with God, my family and myself.
I am going to choose the word Bless. I want to bless others this year. I spend most of my days obsessing over myself, and I want to change the focus from Shelly to other people. I got help from the verse “Do not repay evil with evil, or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you will inherit a blessing.”
I’m very excited to see if the change in me is contagious to others. I’m hoping that God’s work in me doesn’t just stop with me. It’s like that whole thing about your bad mood is contagious so smile and be happy you never know who your good mood will effect or something like that.
Possibility: Letting go….having the faith of a child again. To have the burden of anxiety and worry to be lifted from my shoulders. The world is a heavy laden.
Abiding:
Adjective
Unceasing; “an abiding belief”; “imperishable truths”.
1) Abiding in the word. The truth.
2) Abiding in personal relationship Christ. Keeping His commandments and demonstration of Grace, Peace, Love, and daily walking to glorify Him.
3) Abiding in family, Spending more time with my wife, keeping them safe, continually showing each family member love, patience, long suffering, and continually share the gospel as it is written.
4) Abiding in fiances. Give graciously, cheerfully, keeping my goals of budget and being content with what I have.
5) Abiding in what the Holy Spirit has guided me to do.
6) Abiding in daily prayer.
John 14 7If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.8Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.9Jesus said to him, Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, `Show us the Father’?10Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.11Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.12Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.13Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.14If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.15If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
John 14: 23-25
23Jesus answered and said to him, “(AL)If anyone loves Me, he will (AM)keep My word; and (AN)My Father will love him, and We (AO)will come to him and make Our abode with him.
24″He who does not love Me (AP)does not keep My words; and (AQ)the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.
25″These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you.
The most exciting thing about becoming a DOer is achieving the goals I have set for myself while at the same time enjoying the process of DOing the work required for them.
My word is Consistency.I have given up on almost everything.Cause I keep waiting on EVERYONE else to change instead of “ME”.So I want to be consistent in ALL areas of my life.
my word is determined…what excites me most about my future with my word is that my children are seeing my determination and hopefully it will be built into their character. I want to lead by example and be determined in all I do. And i want my children to do the same. 🙂
My word is transform. I see the person I want to become as someone who knows that she knows who she is in Christ and who will not stop following and working with God till the whole world is transformed.