I’ve got my Word, Now it is your turn! 2025

January 8, 2025 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Have you ever thought of having a Word for the year? I started doing this in 2019. I was asked to choose a word for the year and then a Bible verse or verses to support me in that focus. I prayed and asked God to give me a word to focus upon for 2019. He gave me the word Trust. Right then I was going through some things that required that I Trust in Him more than ever and not the world, things or people around me. The verses I chose were Psalm 37:5, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this” and Nahum 1:7 “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,

In 2020, God gave me the word Hope. I did not know a pandemic was coming but God did and it was the perfect word. In 2021 I found myself bogged down by the pandemic, life’s complexities with schooling my grandkids, working on Zoom and continued isolation. I felt I lacked something and the word God gave me was Joy. In 2022, God impressed upon me that I needed to seek Him and focus on Faith. In 2023, my word was Obedience. That word was wonderful and I saw spiritual growth in so many ways. In 2024, my word was Commit. As I recently reflected, God showed His faithfulness in different aspects of my life as I committed to serve Him.

So what about 2025? Actually, the word God has impressed upon me is Thankfulness. Unlike last year when I prayed for several weeks about the word, it came to me quickly and I feel assured this is the word God intends for 2025. In the next few days, I will pray about 8-10 words related to thankfulness that will help to hone and sharpen my thankfulness focus.

Pray about your 1 Word. Ask God to give you direction and focus that can carry and motivate you throughout the year. If you have it, send me a response, I’d love to see it. I’ll blog more about the related words in a few days.

Linda

(After I got started with this, I discovered there is actually a book called One Word that will change your life. It is written by Jon Gordon, Dan Britton and Jimmy Page. It is a short book that explains how they arrived at this discovery and how God has used it in their lives both personally and corporately. I got mine on Amazon.)

Paul, “It was Worth it!” Agree?

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 nofearlindaLeave a comment

The Apostle Paul uses put in a new context in today’s passage. 1 Corinthian 9:12 comes in the midst of a passage where Paul is reasoning that missionaries deserve to be paid or supported for their work. Just as Jewish priests were given food and clothing, so those that serve Christ preaching and teaching deserve to be cared for.

^“If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?

But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.“

Paul is saying that they may have the right to support, but they did not insist upon it. They suffered and put up with less so that the gospel of Christ would go forward. He was not bragging, but simply stating the fact that he was compelled to preach the gospel. In verse 16 Paul says, “Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ” His motivation was pure, without complications, as He presented the gospel so that others might know Christ and be redeemed.

What is your motivation for telling others about Christ? Paul was so driven to tell others he could not, not tell them. His desire was for them to know Christ, to be freed from the bondage of sin, to have the eternal assurance of salvation and to have hope for living each day. This was what drove him to tell as many as he could, regardless of the danger or hardships to himself. Do you want others to be free in Christ? Do you want to see them in eternity worshipping and rejoicing with Jesus?

Consider this, Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I am compelled to speak of the love of Jesus, to speak of His redeeming power and to speak of the assurance I have of spending eternity with Him. Think about this in the context of John 13:34-35 ““A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Are you compelled to speak out for Jesus because of your love for Jesus and for those who need to know Him? Are you willing like Paul, to put up with anything so that others can know Him? As Christians we need to be willing to put up with the world’s attitude and rejection, so that someone may come to know Jesus as their Savior. As Paul reasoned, “it is worth it.”

Linda

What are you thinking?

March 25, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can have the mind of Christ. In 1 Corinthians Paul is talking to the Corinthian believers about wisdom, and how we can know and discern the things of God. “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 With our natural mind we can’t know the things of God but with the indwelling Holy Spirit we can understand God and know Him. The spiritual person is not to be judged by the opinions of unbelievers who consider the things of God to be foolish. We are only held accountable to God. His standard of conduct is the only one we need consider. We are assured that the indwelt believer has the mind of Christ.

So what does that mean to you? As I pondered what having Christ’s mind might mean, James 3:17 came to mind, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere”. Having the mind of Christ would mean we have access to godly wisdom as described by James. We can have pure thoughts, a spirit of peace in our words, gentle presentation of our thoughts to others, reasonable thoughts not prone to wander or be self-serving, thoughts filled with mercy, thoughts that produce good things for ourselves and others, thoughts without bias and thoughts that are always sincere not being fake in any way. I know that having the mind of Christ is a growing process and does not happen overnight. As we draw near to God we are promised in James 4:8 that God will draw near to us. “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you,” The closer we walk with Jesus the more we can think and act as He would. A mind that is governed by Jesus would be glorifying to God and produce a vibrant and whole life for us. Consider the words of James today as you go about your daily routine. What part of the mind of Christ, the wisdom that comes from above, are you seeing in your life?

Linda

Suggestion: Pray and ask God to give you thoughts from Christ’s mind today-pure, gentle, loving, filled with hope and mercy, without bias, and totally sincere. See the difference it will make in how you feel and view others.

Live Like you Believe in God’s Love and Mercy

January 11, 2019January 11, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

The first few weeks of January I write about goals, motivation, change, etc. This morning God has laid on my heart the idea of rising up and going. That may sound weird, but where do you get your get up and go? What makes you want to get up in the morning and pursue your day? For the believer, it is partly motivated by their understanding that God has a purpose for each day. I love Lamentations 3:22-24 and here it is from the Message, which may bring new meaning to these verses for you, “God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over). He’s all I’ve got left.” Knowing that God’s love and mercy are new each morning gives us hope and the ability to start a new day.

Another motivation for the believer can be taken from Acts 3:6-8 when Peter healed the man that had been lame from birth at the Beautiful Gate in Jerusalem. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” ⁷And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.” Then look what happened in verse 8 “And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.” How about you? Has Jesus healed you in mind, body or spirit? What is your life’s reaction to that healing? Are you leaping and walking and praising God in your life? Today is the day to begin!

rise up and walk Each day, each year are new opportunities for us to walk, talk and live praising God. Let’s determine today to live that way. Put a smile on your face and live like you mean it because you know that God loves you, has mercies ready for you and wants to hear your praise as you journey through this day.