Happy New Years! The New Year is always an exciting time. It’s a time of starting over. It’s a time of improving. As we begin 2023, it will be important to renew our commitment to God’s word. We’ve learned a great deal about God’s word in our Bible reading in 2022.
- (Psalm 119:11): “Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against you.”
- (Psalm 119:105): “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
- (Psalm 119:107): “I am exceedingly afflicted; Revive me, O LORD, according to your word.”
- (Proverbs 1:7): “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
- (Proverbs 1:20-23): “Wisdom shouts in the street, she lifts her voice in the square; At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings: ‘How long, O naïve ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing and fools hate knowledge? Turn to my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.’”
In years past, I have set a list of books I want to read at the beginning of each year. Whatever goals we may have with respect to reading, the Bible should always be number one. There are 66 books in the Bible. It’s a book that never gets old. Our attaining of knowledge from it will never end. It’s a book we can never outgrow. It’s a book for children and a book for adults.
As 2023 begins, we will need to focus on our mindset. Mind your mindset! We do this by hiding (or treasuring) God’s word in our hearts. The apostle tells us how we can mind our mindset in (Philippians 4:8): “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. In 2022, what did you dwell upon? What took up the most space in your mind? Was it social media? Was it work? Was it worry? Was it God, seeking His kingdom, and His word?
Hiding God’s word in our hearts takes a lot of work but is possible. One way to stretch yourself and to grow your faith in 2023, is to begin to memorize scripture. When we memorize scripture, it will be fully embedded in our hearts. In 2022, we had many of our young children memorize the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount. That was a great success! It showed us what’s possible with direction and intention. In 2023, let’s put our even more attention on God’s word. Let’s hide it in our hearts and let’s believe it even more.
Benjamin Lee