19 January 2013

Scriptures for Saturday + the New Year

Some people write New Year's Resolutions
(I did for many years and then never followed through with many/most of them).
Some choose a significant or special word as a focus for the year
(a good idea).
 
But for the last few years I have chosen a special scripture...
and this year,
as New Year's Day neared,
the one that I strongly believe God was bringing to mind
was this one.
 
And be not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable,
and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2 KJV
 
I LOVE this verse because it was just what I needed at this point in my life!
 
And then, shortly thereafter, another piece of scripture came along...
I found it when I was looking for a Bible reading plan because of the above verse.
It was also perfect for where I am at,
and I believe God directed me to it also.
 
Remember ye not the former things,
neither consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth;
shall ye not know it?
I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:18, 19 KJV
 
Ah! LOVE these both:)
Such hope God has brought to me by these scriptures!

Nothing has changed...
we still have major problems with the house,
I still fight fears about the future and other things at times,
my dad still has health issues which require family/friends to be with him 24/7
(although he is doing incredibly well, knows family and friends,
carries on conversations quite easily, and can ambulate with a walker),
and we still face other challenges...some of which I am not free to discuss here.

And yet,
everything has changed!
Since the first of the New Year,
I have been filled with a deep joy and hope.
Bible reading is no longer a duty, but a pleasure...
I am drawn to watch and listen to things that glorify God.
And more and more, I find myself looking to HIM and desiring an even closer walk with the Creator.
So, it's true--God is doing  a NEW thing...
in me:)
He truly is the Prodigal's Father and for that (and many other things) I am grateful.
 
Do you have a special verse for this new year?
 
Blessings,
Aimee
 
Note:
When I quote verses
I almost always,
use the King James Version.
This is mainly for three reasons--
1. It is in the public domain so there is no limit on what I can use,
2. It's so beautifully written--although archaic it is SO poetic,
3) It's widely accepted worldwide.
 
But I totally fell in love with the verses from Isaiah in the NIV
(at home I have both the KJV and NIV in addition to the Jerusalem Bible bought during college)...
I won't quote them here,
but you can find them if you follow this link:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2043:%2018,%2019&version=NIV
LOVED the use of the word 'perceive'...
I wonder how much I miss because I don't perceive what God is doing in my life?
 
BTW, if you're looking for a Bible Reading plan for this new year as I was,
the site above has several.
I am doing the 365 plan
and
will soon be downloading a bible app for my smartphone.
Yea, a smartphone---how did I ever live without one?
:)
Actually quite well...but they do make life a bit easier. 



14 comments:

Betsy said...

No special vase but I do love the verse in Romans 12:2 that you have posted. Many things have changed in my life in the last year as I try to follow Him more and not be conform,ed to the "pattern iof his world."

Blessings,
Betsy
Http://www.betsy-thesimplelifeofaqueenblogspot.com

aimee said...

Hi Betsy!
Thank you so much for your comment and sharing your experience of living out this verse!
Blessings, Aimee
PS: Sorry about the short reply-am on my phone...

Betsy said...

Hi Aimee! Notice all of the typo's on my comment above? It's because I was on my phone! Those little keys are so difficult to deal with aren't they? Thanks for visiting my blog.

Blessings,
Betsy

aimee said...

Yippee! Now I feel NORMAL--well almost :) LOL
Blessings, Aimee
PS: You have some very nice verses on your blog!

Cheesemakin' Mamma said...

God often gives us "desert" experiences so that we will be forced to look to Him and truly "know that we know" that He is for us and He will take care of us. I loved this post!

Gracie Saylor said...

I had not chosen a focus verse for the year, but I did choose a focus word: care.

Now that you challenged me to think about it, I looked up 'care' in my Bible concordance and found this verse, 1Peter 5:7 Give all your worries and cares to God for He cares about what happens to you. NLT

I chose the word 'care' because I want to encourage myself to grow in my awareness of God in and around me, and I want to partner with His work.

The verse in 1 Peter presents a neat perspective. Care can be both worry and provision for the concerns that cause worry, and God is the ultimate source for provision.

Thanks for the challenge, Aimee :) I am using the Youversion.com app and following the Life Journal reading plan this year.

xx,
Gracie

aimee said...

Good Monday morn to you Jackie and Gracie! I am at my sibling's home watching my dad while they are out of town so I am on my phone and so will keep this short till I'm back on my laptop...just want you to know how much your comments blessed me-Betsy yours too! TY
Blessings, Aimee

aimee said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Stacie, A Firefighter's Wife said...

Bible reading is no longer a duty, but a pleasure...
I am drawn to watch and listen to things that glorify God.


I love that, Aimee! It is for me as well. Life can be so hard. I don't know any other way to deal with the bad stuff except to press in and put it right back at his feet. He can redeem anything.

Blessings,
Stacie

aimee said...

Jackie
You are so very right about God using the 'desert' experiences of our lives for that reason. Last night, at my sibling's, one of the pastor's I watched, talked about this very same thing.
Thanks for sharing!
Blessings, Aimee

aimee said...

Gracie~
Awesome verse (and word) to focus on this year! LOVE the translation you quoted also--perfection for that verse :)
Thanks for letting me know about your mobile app and reading plan. I will have to check them out.
Blessings,
Aimee

Grandmabeckyl.blogspot said...

Good evening, Aimee and thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. When I was reading Stacie's blog, I noticed you were there too. LOL! Good post! Right now my favorite verse is in Lamentations 3:22-24 "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness." " The Lord is my portion," say my soul,therefore I will hope in Him." RSV It's great to know the Lord is there for me and he is faithful and every morning the mercies are new...refreshing indeed. I like NKJV Bible. I bought one a couple years ago and enjoy reading it alot...have a couple NIVs as well. One new one is bilingual,Spanish and English. Not too proficient in Spanish but am learning some to speak on my trip. Yes, I'm looking forward to my trip. Found out today when we get our tickets and the date in April is still there! Take care! Hugs!

aimee said...

Hi, Stacie!
Thank you--I am glad those words blessed you:) I have been blessed by many things I have read on your blog and just now I feel very, very blessed by your comment. What you said is so very true and I thank you for sharing it.
Blessings,
Aimee

aimee said...

Becky,
Hi! You are SO very welcome-twas my pleasure to do so:)

LOVE your favorite verses--they're beautiful! Something to really hold onto in times that aren't going so well and times that are!

Regarding learning Spanish--I don't speak it well, but was able to learn enough to really help me communicate with our Hispanic moms at a Doctor's office I worked at. You might check to see if there are some free online sites that would be of help (so, so excited for you)...getting a bilingual Spanish-English Bible was a GREAT idea:)

Blessings,
Aimee

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