How to Plan for The Year of The Word
When our children were little, I planned vacations. I knew our budget was fixed and I wanted to pack in as much fun as possible. Consequently, I made sure we did something each person in the family would choose if he or she were in charge. I made the reservations, planned and packed the meals in our trailer, and even scheduled snacks. When we hit the road, I had a travel agenda, a calendar for our meals, and a plethora of sightseeing brochures that I had collected. Game on!
To Plan or Not to Plan?
The truth is I’m not a planner. I know how to plan, it’s just not my general go-to activity. You probably have friends like I do who plot out every detail of every day and every activity (you know who you are…). They organize themselves, and anyone who happens to be around. I, on the other hand, am more content to have a basic outline and go with the flow.
The reality of my preference in contrast to my planning history has taught me that some things must be planned. For example, many holiday meals, extensive vacations, or home improvement projects succeed only with detailed planning.
Parameters to Consider
Last week on my blog, I talked about two parameters to consider when thinking about resolutions, goals for 2023, or a word of the year.
- We are not the ones who perfect ourselves or our lives, God does the work.
- Our goal should not be focused on ourselves; our goal must be to honor God.
If you follow me on social media, you discovered last Saturday that God generously and graciously gave me a word for the new year. My word is shift, and I know God will be reminding me of that concept and bringing about growth in my life. I also know God will be using this process so I can honor Him more through who He is forming me to be. God is already moving in my experience of 2023, and I am grateful.
The Year of The Word
I ended last week’s blog with the challenge: “May 2023 be the Year of The Word.” Just imagine how amazing this year could be if our focus is on The Word, Jesus Christ Himself, over the concept of improving ourselves. As much as I may hate to admit it, this requires planning. Allow me to share four activities you can adapt and add into your schedule.
Four Activities to Plan in 2023
Know The Word
First of all, create a plan to know The Word more intimately. All of us learn in different ways, and each of us is in a different place on the journey. Don’t compare yourself to someone else, instead ask God what option or options are best for you.
- Join a Bible study and be faithful to do the lessons.
- Read God’s Word regularly and consistently. You can go through a book of the Bible or follow a scripture reading plan.
- Attend church every week. Take notes during the sermon.
- Complete a daily devotional in something like the YouVersion app. I encourage you to read the scripture presented from your own Bible. Highlight words or phrases that stand out to you. Jot down notes and/or questions you want answered.
The goal is to learn new things about who God is. For this reason, I challenge you to keep a journal and list out what you learn about God every time you interact with His Word. In my personal quiet time, I answer the question “What do you learn about God and what scripture backs it up?” every day. It helps me identify all God’s characteristics I discover as I read my Bible; it helps me better know Jesus, The Word of God.
Allow The Word to Dwell in You
Second, follow Paul’s advice to the Colossians.
“Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”
Colossians 3:16 CSB
We are to let the words Jesus spoke dwell in us. They are to become an integral part of who we are, how we think, and the attitudes we display. As God’s Word becomes a part of our thinking, we gain Godly wisdom that we can share with each other. We are given the privilege, and the responsibility, to encourage spiritual growth in each other by sharing the things God reveals to us.
One of the best ways to have the word of Christ truly dwell in you is memorize scripture. The advent study I did in December, had a weekly memory verse. To help me learn the verses, I downloaded an app onto my phone that specifically offers me practice exercises to aid in memorizing each scripture passage. The app I chose is titled Remember Me, and it offers a variety of activities to help one learn and recall scripture.
Place Your Hope in The Word
The third activity doesn’t sound like a plan, it reads more like an intention. We must place our hope in God’s Word. Psalm 119:114 says, “You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope.” The Psalmist clearly stated God was his place of safety and security, and He anticipated what he read in God’s Word. We know The Word of God was revealed to us in Jesus Christ (John 1:1 and 14). He is our source of hope, our safe place, when life is not ideal.
Too often we set goals and believe once we attain those goals life will be better. Consequently, we place our hope in getting a promotion, or losing weight, or spending more time doing things we love. If we are accepting the challenge to make 2023 the year of The Word, we must anticipate experiencing all we learn about God from the life of Jesus, The Word of God, and from reading the Bible, God’s Word.
I have discovered I hope in God more consistently when I’ve followed through with activities one and two. When we know God’s characteristics and His promises we can identify how and when He shows up. Furthermore, rehearsing verses and adding them to our bank of knowledge places us in a position to know truth when we need it. Often, I claim a specific truth for the day, and I remind myself over and over of the God characteristic my soul most needs.
Live What You Learn from The Word
The final activity is put into action what you learn from The Word. If we learn new things, but never allow what we’ve learned to change us, what was the point? Knowledge just for knowledge’s sake is only good if you play a lot of Trivia games.
“Don’t just listen to the Word of Truth and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception. So always let his Word become like poetry written and fulfilled by your life!”
James 1:22 The Passion Translation
Allow me to remind you what I wrote in last week’s blog. “Whereas we must put forth effort to listen and follow God’s leading, we are not the ones in charge of the results.” The four activities I’ve provided are not a Christian checklist. It’s a plan to place ourselves in a position for The Word to dwell in us and form us to be who He created each of us to be from the start. Listen to the Spirit, choose one step to take, then take it.
Planning Produces Results
As I’ve written this blog, I admit it doesn’t feel like my typical writing. There’s no snarky story. I haven’t added a quirky glimpse of scripture. It’s practical planning. But I know, my best holiday meals, vacations and home improvement projects were fantastically amazing because of the planning.
“And the Word (Christ) became flesh and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception)…For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift].”
John 1:14 & 16, The Amplified Version
Once again: May 2023 be the Year of The Word.
Calendar Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash
