Spinning off She Reads Truth for this post.
May we use the coming days, this new year, as an opportunity not to (only) clean out closets and lose that stubborn 10 pounds, but to reorient our hearts and our gaze to the One in whom our only hope rests, Jesus Christ our Lord.
O Lord,
Length of days does not profit me
except the days are passed in Thy presence,
in Thy service, to Thy glory.
Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides,
sustains, sanctifies, aids every hour,
that I may not be one moment apart from Thee,
but may rely on Thy Spirit
to supply every thought,
speak in every word,
direct every step,
prosper every work,
build up every mote of faith,
and give me a desire
to show forth Thy praise,
testify Thy love,
advance Thy kingdom.
I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year,
with Thee, O Father as my harbor,
Thee, O Son, at my helm,
Thee O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.
Guide me to heaven with my loins girt,
my lamp burning,
my ear open to Thy calls,
my heart full of love,
my soul free.
Give me Thy grace to sanctify me,
Thy comforts to cheer,
Thy wisdom to teach,
Thy right hand to guide,
Thy counsel to instruct,
Thy law to judge,
Thy presence to stabilize.
May Thy fear by my awe,
Thy triumphs my joy
An attitude over a resolution.
I don’t know what 2015 has in store for me, my loved ones, or the world. I know I’d like to commit more Scripture to memory. I know I’d like to develop a lifestyle of activity to keep my body feeling good. I know I’d like to talk more than I text.
I think these are nice and noble resolutions, but I wonder if (for me) a resolve to encounter God, might be more of what my 2015 needs. Remembering that He doesn’t keep a record my failures, and that He doesn’t want to count my accomplishments. My eternity, my fate, my purpose, my life in Christ, is sealed. With that truth in stone, with that written across my heart… what’s next? Celebrating, admiring, resting in, confiding in Him — relationship with Him. My life, one unflinching gaze upon the glory of Christ.
One day we will all awaken from this dream called the universe, this dream called life, to the sheer reality of God’s I AM-ness. And when we do–when you do–will your life have been built on the shadow or the substance? Will you have lived your life for “it was” or for “I AM”? (Look and Live)
God, a believer’s true Home. The real Glory. The Infinitely Interesting.
“God commands us to love Him more than anything else because He knows that anything we love more than Him is going to betray us.” Matt Papa
“Our whole business in this life is to restore to health the eye of the heart whereby God may be seen.” Augustine
“Our eyes will not go upward to the Lord of themselves, but they incline to look downward, or inward, or anywhere but the Lord.” Spurgeon
Fix my eyes.
That’s my resolution for 2015.
Excited about this new year! A full year as a wife, a full year working a full-time job I really enjoy, a full year of being back in my hometown as a married college graduate.
