Not “A WORD of the Year” but “THE WORD for the Year.”

Morning Sisters in Christ. How are you?

With the New Year approaching faster than I can seem to keep up with I have been tempted to sit down and come up with New Year’s resolutions or to pick a word for 2022 to focus on and pray for.

This is a tradition for the women in my family, to choose one word for the entire year and grow in that area. It became popularized some years back. Apparently we weren’t the only ones doing this 😉 and in the past I have chosen words like “Discipline” and “Boundaries” to zone in one specific areas of my character and life that needed work.

To be honest, I don’t think I ever made it an entire year focusing on MY WORD but the idea is a good one and I know has worked for more disciplined women.

But this year, as I have been thinking about 2022 coming up, I started thinking about goals and resolutions. I know setting goals are a good thing and can be very very impactful to success and achieving dreams but as Christian women, I want us to step away from “goal setting” and focus in on what we’ve been COMMANDED to do.

Blessed is the man

who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

or set foot on the path of sinners,

or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the Law of the LORD,

and on His law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

yielding its fruit in season,

whose leaf does not wither,

and who prospers in all he does. - PSALM 1

Here we see that meditating on the Word, day and night, produces good fruit. The WORD IS our streams of water and feeds us, satisfies us, and grows that Galatians 5 FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT in us.

The Lord isn’t concerned that we prosper like unbelievers do.

Psalm 17 says: “By your hand you save me from such people Lord, from those of this world whose reward IS IN THIS LIFE…” He is talking about wicked people. They may prosper here on earth but what God is storing up for them is His WRATH. As for us, as believers, we may, by the world’s standards, be “unsuccessful” but we inherit the Kingdom of God in the next life.

What God wants for us is to SANCTIFY us. 1 Thessalonians 4 “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified.” vs.3. He wants us to produce GOOD FRUIT for HIS GLORY. We do this by being FED and we are fed by HIS WORD.

So, instead of coming up with a goal or a resolution for 2022, let us commit to be obedient to what we’ve already been commanded to do: MEDITATE ON HIS WORD DAY AND NIGHT.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Joshua 1:8 

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Hebrews 4:12 

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Psalm 119:10-11 

With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Job 23:12 

I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.

Psalm 119:1-176 

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! …

Ladies, we MUST be women of the Word. We MUST. Not only because God has commanded it of us but because we desire to grow in Him and be more like Him.

Starting TODAY, not waiting until the New Year, let us commit to reading, studying, applying, and loving the WORD OF GOD.

We should be disciplined in this. If we are “too busy” for studying His Word then we must repent of replacing this spiritual discipline and obeying this command to be in the Word with other things and CHANGE OUR SCHEDULES. We are far too busy if we are not having time to be in the Word, to be women of prayer, to be active in our churches and communities, in instructing our children in HIS WAYS.

How can we expect to be more like Christ if we are not in the Word? We must apply it to our lives. IT IS OUR SUSTENANCE. Jesus IS the Word as John says. The Holy Spirit will help you grow in this discipline. It may be difficult at first to turn the TV off and choose to be in the Word but this is obedience and discipline often hurts. It’s like stretching muscles. It can hurt to do the stretch work but it gets easier and easier the more you do it consistently.

John 17:17 

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

May the Lord bless you ladies as we grow in the Word and commit to be unlike the world but like CHRIST.