Happy New Year make 2015 matter
We all get excited about a new year. It is simultaneously a celebration and a grieving process.
We grieve the losses we might have suffered in a previous year, most often we are focusing on regrets. This is the reason we make resolutions. We regret eating poorly, gaining weight, or other things we might perceive as personal failures, and we resolve to do better in the coming year.
We also celebrate. We celebrate the good things we might have done or experienced this past year, and we hope, long and strive for more of that.
That’s the real point of resolutions. We want to find ways of improving ourselves and our lives as we head into the future. Moving ahead, I hope you will consider one important way of developing yourself and your life in the coming year. I hope you will consider drawing closer to the heart of God.
I don’t mean growing more in your biblical knowledge. That’s good. But I mean actually knowing the person a little bit better, and actually enjoying him!
I am going to recommend a few resources that will help you grow in this area.
For the Life of the World – Kick off 2015 right
The BCC staff have been working hard to plan and provide learning and growing experience that will help you jump start 2015 with a passion for the things God is doing. It starts with a complete worldview transformation. We need to understand that what God is doing in us is way beyond us. How do we as redeemed people relate to the world around us? Join us Every Wednesday from Jan 14th – Feb 25th from 6-8. We will be watching a 20 minute video that will help you grow deeper in your commitment to live out the mission he calls us to. This seven weeks can change the direction of your life.
The Shirkers and Slackers Bible reading Plan
Ever felt like reading the Bible in a year but then felt inadequate by February? There is a Bible reading plan that is especially helpful for those of us who are not always consistently regular at doing the same thing at the same time every day. If you have ever felt like you didn’t measure up in your Bible reading, I cannot more strongly recommend this resource. Read this article, and get the free Shirkers and Slackers Bible reading plan.
Read a Book
You could read a book. I would actually encourage to read at least one this year. But I mean read a book of the Bible. This plan encourages you to read a book of the bible 20 times. Start with Jude or one of the small letters of John. Read it twenty times over. Over and over again God’s word encourages his people to meditate on the Bible. Try it! Here is more on that.
Try a Daily Devotional
There are several really good choices. But FYI – there are also some less than admirable choices. Daily devotionals are not all made equal. So pick one well. Here are a few great choices. And here is a word of advice when using a daily devotional that has a reading for every day. They aren’t novels. You don’t have to read them in order. When you pick it, flip to that days reading and read it. You don’t have to read every single one in order. Relax. Read. Grow.
Everyday Prayers – Scotty Smith
It Is Finished: 365 Days of Good News – Tullian Tchividjian
Taste and See – John Piper
For the Love of God – D.A. Carson
Whatever you do. Please continue to grow closer to the heart of God. Let’s make the focus of 2015 growing deeper in our desire to walk with our maker.