Well we did it; we made another lap around the sun. It feels like life moves pretty fast these days and these orbits are more dizzying. 2018 wasn’t always fun. Some of us have new scars and some of us have fresh victories. But we made it. And I am excited about 2019.

The start of the year is a good time to look back at the previous year and to think about the new one that’s upon us. Almost everything about this year is still unknown. That can be scary, exhilarating, and refreshing. It’s still a blank slate and you can make changes. But we’ll need a plan. Let’s start with where you want to be a year from today and work our plan for spiritual growth from there. Begin with the end in mind.

One year from now I want you to trust Jesus more, I want your faith to grow. I want you to love Jesus more because of how beautiful he is. I want you to experience God more deeply. One year from today I want you to be more at peace. So, consider this, will what you are currently doing get you there? Will continuing with your current habits, rhythms, and thinking lead you to a more satisfied, peaceful, and fulfilled life? If not, we need a new plan. That plan absolutely must include spending time with God. This happens in worship with other believers (commit to it), in community studying the Bible, and in our own time with God’s Word. If you don’t have a plan for spending time with God, that’s okay. There are wonderful plans out there that will point us to Jesus this year. There are Bible reading plans and devotionals that will point us to Jesus.

Start by considering making a rule of life, a decision to place God at the center of your life and a plan to accomplish it. Here’s a good article on that: Make a Rule of Life. You can use a daily devotional. There are several great ones available for free on line and some great new ones that aren’t very expensive. You can use the YouVersion Bible on your phone to read the Bible through in a year. And commit to memorizing Scripture, driving it deep into your heart.

Don’t be afraid to make a mistake or that you don’t know how. Start. Just start reading the Bible. We’ll address the questions later and we can even change plans. But start today!

Reading Plans

[caption id="attachment_1386" align="alignnone" width="300"] Read the entire Bible in 2019[/caption]

Devotionals

[caption id="attachment_1387" align="alignnone" width="300"] Morning and Evening - A Classic by Charles Spurgeon[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1388" align="alignnone" width="300"] A one-year guided walk through Proverbs[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1389" align="alignnone" width="300"] A one-year guided walk through the Psalms[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1390" align="alignnone" width="300"] A Gospel-Centered Daily Devotional[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1392" align="alignnone" width="300"] Learn how to journal[/caption]