Ideas for the New Year!

It seems everyone tries to do "cutbacks" in January. We cutback on our food intake, we cut back on our spending, we set goals and, a lot of those goals will involve some sort of cutback. Let me encourage you this year to actually increase! Sanctification is an ongoing process by God’s grace in our lives. While God’s grace is at work, there must be spiritual discipline in our lives to see great strides. I want to just challenge you to "gorge out" in three key areas of your spiritual walk this year:

First, read more good books than you have ever read before. Here is a list of suggestions to help you get started: http://www.holding2truth.blogspot.com/2012/11/final-blog-of-2012-great-resources-for.html  Too many times we set goals for every area of our lives, except our spiritual life: Our spiritual walk should be preeminent and can not be neglected! If you have had trouble in the past with consistency in this area, let me encourage you to begin your year by using the "Amazon search" link and type in Ordering Your Private World - it will take you to the book you need to start first. Between this blog and our book table at Trinity, there are numerous resources to enhance your walk for 2013.

Secondly, I would encourage you to give a greater percentage financially than you have ever given. Some have taken new jobs, some have taken cuts and others have gotten promotions. Regardless of where you are, you can make a commitment to give more to kingdom work than you have ever given from a percentage standpoint. I have said before that if you believe you have grown spiritually but this growth has not made an impact on how you give and how you spend…you need to check your idea of what growth looks like. Spiritual growth will impact every area of my life, especially those areas that demonstrate trust and that my security is in Christ, such as our finances.

Lastly, I would encourage you to disciple more. If you can not think of anyone that you are presently pouring your life and spiritual knowledge into, then you are not carrying out our King’s commands. We are called to be disciple makers and that means I have to give my time to others. This takes dedication and energy from all involved, but this is something every one of us can do. You can walk through a book with another person, you can take a couple who has not been saved long, or even been married as long as you, and help them grow in a biblical understanding of marriage. You can do this by investing in ministries here at Trinity, but this should be going on individually and privately as well.  Let’s use 2013 for His glory like no other year before!