Monday, January 12, 2009

Weekly Memory Verse

Here we go!! I'm going to type out last week's verse from memory (you'll just have to trust me on this!), and we'll see how well I did!!

So I say live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature......Galations 5:16

Not too bad--no punctuation, but that is okay!!

Now, how has this verse spoken to me this week:

This is the time of year when I look back at the previous year and see what I want to change during the coming year. These are what are usually called resolutions. Many people make these "resolutions" on New Year's Eve with a determination to follow through with them during the coming year.

Are we more or less setting ourselves up for disappointments in the new year?

A week or two into the new year, and I have realized that I have already forgotten or missed the mark on what I "resolved" to do during the coming year.

The Apostle Paul in writing this verse in Galatians has given me a very important insight into this and what it takes to truly make changes in my life:

I need to change my focus!!

Instead of focusing so intently on what I want to change--what I consider to be a "desire of the flesh", "a sinful nature" which are basically negatives, I need to place my focus on the Holy Spirit and make the decision to live by the Spirit guiding and directing me.

Only by focusing and living by the Spirit can these changes come about. Instead of eyeballing the negatives and weaknesses in my life, I'm going to zero in on where the Spirit is leading me.

Then changes will come--the changes that God is wanting me to make--from the inside out.

What do you think? Place our focus on Jesus--I'll be willing to say that more changes will come about in our lives than we can ever dream of in our "own resolutions".

How has this verse spoken to you this week? Please share with me either here in a comment or on your own blog.

And here is our verse for this week:

He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,
and He will reward him for what he has done....Proverbs 19:17

Beth


8 comments:

Dorothy Champagne said...

and the blessing that each day is new and we can start over when that sinful nature creeps in. I'm interested to see the comments regarding the upcoming verse...

Marsha said...

Hi Beth,

I linked my Chronological Reading Schedule to your memory verse schedule. I'm gonna go ahead and join up with you this year rather than "the other Beth", Beth Moore.

Spring M Fricks said...

It's so funny. God was speaking to me through this verse and I didn't even know it. All week He has been whispering to me about my focus. To stop making a to-do list that I think is important and to start asking Him what he thinks is important. Interesting.

Denise said...

I love learning these verses sweetie, bless you.

Kay Martin said...

Wow! Wouldn't that be just like satan to encourage us to think about what is NOT like Jesus to keep it etched in our brains!!

You wrote: I need to change my focus!!


Instead of focusing so intently on what I want to change--what I consider to be a "desire of the flesh", "a sinful nature" which are basically negatives, I need to place my focus on the Holy Spirit and make the decision to live by the Spirit guiding and directing me.

Only by focusing and living by the Spirit can these changes come about. Instead of eyeballing the negatives and weaknesses in my life, I'm going to zero in on where the Spirit is leading me.


Yes...focus on the love, joy, mercy, strong gentleness and kindness of Jesus Christ in all things while utterly holy....yes that will be my focus.

Thank you for this blessing today.

In His love and mine, Kay

Peggy said...

Yeahhhh Beth...for your good job of memorization...people don't speak or hear punctuation! Good job!

But more importantly how this verse spoke to you! Excellent listening to the spirit and connecting it to resolutions and life. Though I'm not sure you had desires of a sinful nature...though I could be wrong. Not sleeping, being irritable, icky weather...etc. are out of our control. Our response however though it seems out of our control at times...and we respond impulsively...we do need to die to that and crucify that which is negative. oooooo...you did so good.

So I will live by the Spirit. And hopefully the fruits will follow. I have been working on them for so long. You're so right. I should just allow the Spirit.

I did not do your verse nor will I be doing the next one but have memorized my verses.

2 Corintios 2:14-15...Sin embargo
gracias a Dios que en Cristo siempre nos lleva triunfantes y por medio de nosotros, esparce por todas partes la fragrancia de su conocimiento. Porque para Dios nosotros somos el aroma de Cristo
entre los que se salvan y entre los que se pierden.

I'm gonna stick with my plan of HOPE! So I will go with Jeremiah 29:11...since that is the main verse. Because of a song, I was thinking about doing Psalm 151.
But guess what? There is none!(lol)

That Proverbs verse looks tough!
And how God is speaking to me about that.Hmmmmmmmm...next week.Do you prefer I post on your verse or the one I'm memorizing?

Randy Furco said...

The LORD IS GOOD!

Randy Furco said...

This is a post from my blog...God Bless


http://randysfurco.blogspot.com/2008/12/timely-confession.html