It has been a slow start to 2023 for me. After giving the challenge on January 2, I have been silent on my choice of a Word for the year. I have been in prayer and the Word God has given me is Obedience. There are lots of good connotations that are connected to this word as well as hard one too. So I went in search of related words that would help me refine and define more fully obedience. I took the words and placed them in a graphic to give me a visual representation to post in my office. My related words of heart and soul, love, keeping commandments, fear of God, blessings, heart, service, love others and love Him have really helped me see a broader aspect of Obedience. The related words came from verses I referenced on obedience.

The scriptures I found that spoke to my heart were:

Deuteronomy 10:12 “ And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,” I personalized this verse and put my name in the place of Israel so it reads for me: “And now, Linda, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,”

Psalm 128:1 “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.”

1 Samuel 15:22 “ But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
    as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
    and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”

2 John 1:6 “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”

As you can see the words in my graphic came from scripture and helped me see a direction for my obedience. The Lord will define more fully what He means for me this year in the way of obedience first to Him, then my obedience to love and serve others as I am serving Him. I am looking forward to what God will show me this year, 2023, and how He will use my obedience to Him to bring blessings into my life.

I pray you have found the Word God has given you for the year already or are still pursuing it. God promises if we ask he will answer, and if we seek Him and we will find Him. Keep on knocking.

Linda

The graphic can be done on a free website, http://www.wordart.com Enjoy!