Happy New Year! May God grant you this new heart, with this new spirit, and may you begin to live this New Life. Say this verse by heart with me today:
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Eze 36:26 NIV
Listen to my story: when Beckie slipped away, when the doctors said they could do nothing else, when my world was collapsing within itself…there He was, my Jesus! Lovingly holding me, patiently whispering into my broken heart, drawing me to that final surrender…and I am so unbelievably glad, and relieved, that I humbly answered. That stone heart that I had, seemed to melt in the blast of God’s Love and Grace towards me, and He made me New! From then on I was hooked. I knew I needed Him. I knew I did not want to live apart from Him. I knew that, whatever happened, God would cause it to work together for our good. Has it been easy? Good Lord, no! But easy doesn’t change us for good. Ease, comfort and pleasure is what that old, MMI sinner used to chase after. But none of that leads to a fulfilling and satisfying life.
Life in Christ is challenging. Life in Christ can be uncomfortable at times. Life in Christ can mean surrendering our own pleasure so we may please God instead. But life in Christ is the only life worth living. Not only will we be transported to Paradise when our time here is done, but in this world, we can do incredible things. Feeding the hungry, satiating the thirsty, welcoming strangers, clothing the naked, healing the sick, setting the captives free…these are all things that are possible as we follow Jesus. (see Mt 25:34-40) Every time we step out of our own little world and touch another human in God’s Name, we are changing the world for better. And that is the legacy we each were meant to leave behind: making this world better, one heart at a time. It was the mission of Jesus, now we are privileged to make it ours too. Choose to work with God and see what He can accomplish!
Join me in memorizing 52 verses this year:
January: 1- Jn 3:16; 2- 2Co 5:17; 3- Jas 2:26; 4- Eph 2:10
February: 5- Jn 10:10; 6- Ro 6:23; 7- Rev 21:4; 8- Php 4:13
March: 9- 1Pe 5:7; 10- Jn 8:32; 11- Dt 30:19; 12- Jn 3:30; 13- 2Chron 20:3
April: 14- 2Chron 20:12; 15- 2Chron 20:15b; 16- 2Chron 20:17
Holy Week: Lk 23:34; Lk 23:43; Jn 19:26; Mt 27:46; Jn 19:28; Jn 19:30; Lk 23:46
May: 17- Ro 8:28; 18- 1Co 13:13; 19- Php 2:12; 20- Mt 5:4
June: 21- Lk 23:42; 22- Jas 4:7; 23- Pr 22:6; 24- Mt 5:3; 25- Jn 14:6
July: 26- Jas 2:19; 27- Dt 31:8; 28- Jn 14:15; 29- Jn 8:11
August: 30- Ro 8:1; 31- Pr 4:23; 32- Pr 18:21; 33- Ps 118:24; 34- 1Jn 4:4
September: 35- Mt 16:24; 36- Php 2:13; 37- Isa 53:6; 38 through 40- Ps 23:1-6
October: 41- Heb 4:12; 42- Jn 15:5; 43- Jas 5:16
November: 44- 1Jn 3:1; 45- 1Jn 5:12; 46- 1Jn 3:3; 47- Ps 139:16
December: 48- Ps 119:105; 49- Eze 17:14; 50- Isa 9:6; 51- Eze 36:26
<>< Peace, Diane
