New Year's Focus: Life Verses

Its a new year! I am so happy to say goodbye to the old year and hello to the possibilities of the new. I am always aware that my life is in God's hands, so I am looking to, and relying on His hand at work in me. Contrary to popular opinion, we were not made for ourselves, but we were made for His good pleasure. If I want the Lord to accomplish His purpose in my life this year, then I must read, remember and act on the word of God daily. I am beginning the year by going back to the verses that I claim as my "life verses" in the Bible to see the wisdom they provide. Psalm 37:3-7 (NIV) 3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. 7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; This speaks volumes to me and brings clarity on what should be my focus in relation to the Lord. 1) I must put my trust in Him. This must be our top priority. The world is fighting for our attention and the world's media is in a race to turn as many people from Christ as possible. Do not be fooled by all of this. There is the one and only true God who has always been and always will be. You have nothing to lose by trusting Him. His faithfulness has stood the test of time. 2) I need to do good. What else should a believer do, but those things that are good. We should be driven to do good for the those less fortunate. We should seek to better mankind. As Jacob Marley declared to Scrooge in the 1999 adaptation of "A Christmas Carol"..."Mankind was my business!" Shouldn't that be the cry of all believers? Our focus should be on others and not ourselves. 3) I should delight myself in the Lord. To me, this simply means that I find my joy in Jesus. So much of our life is wasted on trying to find joy and happiness in the things around us. Only to find ourselves depressed about where we are in life, or what we do not have. A christian's joy ultimately comes from knowing Jesus. It is through a relationship with Him that I can be happy regardless of what is happening in my life or what I may or may not have. 4) God will give me the desires of my heart. I interpret this 2 ways. I believe that God does allow some of my own personal desires to remain in my heart and then allows them to happen. But I also believe that God removes some of my own desires and gives me the desires He wants me to have. And He makes me okay with it. I believe this because I have experienced both. 5) I should commit my way (path) to God. I learned a long time ago that I am not a good navigator. If I did not have my wife in the car with me or a good GPS tool, then I would stay lost more than found. I need someone to help me with direction. Its the same in my spiritual life. I need someone to help me navigate my journey. So I pray that God leads me and guides me where He wants me to go. 6) I must wait patiently for the Lord. I must admit I still have trouble with this. I am not a patient person some of the time. And my time table never lines up with the Lord. I want what I want now! But sometimes, God's plan is for me to wait, to wrestle, to anticipate when, where and how things will work out. This builds patience, strength, and character in the life of a believer. As I use these verses to help maintain focus this year, I am praying that God's plan's will unfold in my life and that He would use me to further His name in my sphere of influence. Facing Forward, Stan