The leaves are starting to change colors. The kids are back at school. Summer has come to an end. Football season has already kicked off. Before you know it, Christmas and New Years will be upon us. With this in mind, I think its time for a little straight talk. If youve been going through the last nine months looking for the light at the end of the tunnel then unfortunately you are in for a problem. Truth is: theres no end in sight….the tunnel has no end. Yes, 2010 will soon be over but your word will have to live on long beyond that.http://ragrani.ru

Otherwise this project would be totally pointless.  What good would it do to promise to be patient, if in January you returned to your rude and impatient ways? If God spent an entire year trying to mold a more gentle being, how much progress has really been made, if moments after the clock passes midnight, you get into a fist fight at a New Years party? Whats the point of spending twelve months trying to become a humble person, if you only plan on bragging about how well youve done once the project is complete?

The goal cannot be a short term character fix. We are interested in long term and permanent change. For that to happen your word must change from being a deliberate act, to something that comes more naturally.

Youve spent eight months thinking about your word, organizing your life to be successful, embracing the struggle, celebrating the victories, leaning on friends and hopefully noticing change. In September we want you to focus on making that change a real part of your character.

Walk into any bookstore and youll see dozens of titles that promise the quick fix. In just thirty days you can master a new language, lose a ton weight, get out debt and become a better you. The Bible though teaches us that character building takes time.

God wants to do permanent work inside of you.  This month lets come to terms with the fact that theres a long road in front of us, but if we stay the path he will use our word to teach us things like humility, love, compassion and courage. Rather than a quick fix on outward appearance, He’ll transform our heart and motives for the inside.

Are you looking for a way to keep your word in front of you all year long? Register for a My One Word account! One of the key features of a MOW account is an online Word Journal that allows you to capture your thoughts to reflective questions like you see above. You can go back at any time to read your completed journals to see how God has been moving in your life through your word in 2010.  If you already have an account, the questions from this blog have been posted to your Word Journal log in to your account to start your Word Journal today!