Wednesday, December 31, 2014

My word for 2015...


It was the middle of June, only half way through the year of JOY, when God gave me my word for 2015.  I had a bit of a struggle embracing it.  It isn't a happy word like joy.  2014, while having its share of challenges, (we live in a sin tainted world after all, and perfection will never be our portion until Jesus returns), was heavy on the JOY scale.  The year began with our second born daughter having completed her first trimester of a miraculous surprise pregnancy.  Mother's Day came and with it the birth of our grandson, five weeks premature, but healthy and perfect.  Summer was an especially surprisingly sweet season for us in our ministry.  Then the year drew to a close with the engagement of our youngest daughter and us happily making wedding plans.  In between these happy highlights were lots of ordinary days, good days, hard days, mundane days, but through them all,  I continued my five year long habit of looking for and recording my blessings.  Through it all, God's abiding joy has been present.


6-12-14 is marked in the margin of my Amplified Bible next to Hebrews 10:35-36. "Do not, therefore, fling away your fearless confidence, for it carries a great and glorious compensation of reward. For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God, and thus receive and carry away, and enjoy to the full, what is promised." 
I can still remember the way God spoke these familiar to me words to my heart sitting there in our Thursday night prayer meeting.  They reverberated in my heart and spirit in a whole new way.  They gripped me and wouldn't let me go. 


Then over the course of the next six months, as I read various passages in my devotions,  eleven more verses with the theme of endurance jumped out at me.  Romans 5:3-4 told me that I can be full of joy even in times of hardship, because pressure and affliction produce endurance and endurance develops mature character, approved faith, and tried integrity.  It goes on to say that mature character produces joyful and confident hope.  Do you see the full circle there?  Joy->Endurance->Mature Character->Joyful and confident Hope.  Endurance wasn't just some random new word for the New Year.  Endurance was the next step to complete the joy/hope cycle in my life.  (Hope was my word for the year in 2011, the first time I ever chose a word for the year.)


Romans 8:25 instructed me to hope for what is still unseen by me with patience and perseverance, (endurance).    

Again, through Romans 12:12, I read that joy, hope and steadfast endurance were all connected.  Romans 15:4-5 encouraged me when I read that "...by our steadfast and patient endurance and the encouragement drawn from the Scriptures we might hold fast to and cherish hope.   Now may the God Who gives the power of patient endurance, steadfastness, and Who supplies encouragement, grant you to live in such mutual harmony and such full sympathy with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus."  At this point I was still struggling to embrace the word endurance.  I was just plain afraid to.  I thought of it as meaning, "just grit your teeth, hold on, and don't let go" until you get through this coming year.  I was even afraid to say that my word for 2015 was endurance or, in this case, write it for all the world to see.  I know the devil can't read our thoughts but he can hear our words, and he must be able to read, since he loves to take God's Word and twist it and pervert it.  I didn't want satan to be able to take the word God had given me and beat me up with it all year long.  Yes, I almost rejected the word God was clearly speaking to me about due to evil foreboding and fear.
But, I knew from Proverbs 15:15 that a decision based on those feelings was not from God.  I also knew that God wouldn't ask me to embrace something that didn't have a blessing from Him in it.  The scriptures in Romans 15 encouraged me because I saw that endurance wasn't something God was expecting me to work up, but something He promised to give me the power and ability to do.  I also loved that He promised to accompany that with encouragement.  Lastly, He connected endurance to living in mutual harmony with each other and in accord with Jesus.  If there's anything I desire, it's for our home and our church to be a place where we live in harmony with each other, and above all, with Jesus.  If endurance was a key to this end result, then how could I say no?

God used 1 Corinthians 13:7 to remind me that endurance is a characteristic of love. Colossians 1:11 promised me that God would invigorate and strengthen me to exercise endurance. Hebrews 6:10-12 encouraged me that God does not overlook my labor in ministry, that He wants me to realize and enjoy the full assurance and development of my hope until the end, and that through patient endurance I will inherit the promises He has for me.  Hebrews 12:1 admonished me to run my race with patient endurance.  James 1:3-4 promised me that the proving of my faith would bring out endurance and that if I let endurance have full play and do a thorough work in me I would be perfectly and fully developed, lacking nothing.  Then again, James 5:11 says that those who endure are blessed/happy and that, in the end, God's purpose is to bless me because He is full of pity and compassion and tenderness and mercy.



As if all of the previous verses weren't enough to convince me that God truly was, undeniably, asking me to embrace the word endurance as my word for 2015, He sealed the deal when He led me to Luke 21:19 on December 27th.  In the Amplified Bible, (All verses quoted in this post are from the Amplified Bible. Photos are of my ESV journaling Bible.), it says, "By your steadfastness and patient endurance you shall win the true life of your souls".  This spoke to me in a very real and personal way because the renewing of the mind, (the soul is your mind, will and emotions), is my life message.  It's the subject I most like to preach and teach because embracing the truth of it was so life changing to me personally.  Truelife is the name of our church.  God knows, that for a person with a sensitive spirit and tender heart like me, ministry has not only been a source of deep joy and satisfaction, but of devastating pain and loss.  I have embraced the former and endured the latter for over three decades now.  What has helped me to endure is God's strength and holding tight to the promises He has made to me that I haven't yet seen fulfilled.  This verse was God's way of saying to me, "Don't quit now.  With My help, keep on patiently enduring.  Do my will and you will enjoy to the full what I have promised you."  And so, full of hope and anticipation and overflowing with joy, I fully embrace this word that God so undeniably gave me for 2015.

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28 comments:

  1. Your post this morning is so encouraging and insightful. Endurance is so often thought of in a negative light like the "necessary evil" to go through on the way to our goal or source of joy. Thank you for for sharing that endurance is a builder not a destroyer in our lives, and that we need to embrace endurance to gain strength and bring about change.

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    1. I sure didn't rush to embrace this "difficult" word until God showed me how full of joy, hope and promise it is!

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  2. Elizabeth, I have always been inspired at your devotion to God's Word. I love how He revealed this word to you earlier this year and that you held it in your heart until He confirmed it by His Word. I love the insights you bring from His Word. If we lived closer, I'd ask you to mentor me!!! My word found me one morning after I just asked a group on FB to pray a word in, if it was the Lord's will. He didn't give me one last year. Softly I heard "be content" whispered in my heart, and after spending a few days mulling it over in prayer, I believe this is more of a lesson to be learned that a word to embrace, although I am ready to embrace it and ready to be content with my circumstances. Happy New Year!

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    1. Oh, friend, what fun we'd have if you lived closer. I'm excited about your word for 2015. Godliness with contentment is great and abundant gain!

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  3. Thank you for sharing what is behind your word for the new year. You ministered to me today, dear friend, in ways you may never know. I have felt - and said to myself - that I feel like I'm 'enduring' the present situation. You brought such JOY and peace to my heart to realize the end product of endurance is exactly what I long for - hope and the joy only God can bring to us. I will be sharing the word God gave me for 2015 very soon. It was 'branded' on my heart in ways that remind me of your journey with your word for the year.
    ~Adrienne~

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    1. I can't wait to have some time together so we can share what God has been saying to us!

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  4. What a lovely word...endurance. Usually the word endurance is thought of in a negative way. We endure hardship, loss, sadness. But it can also be joyful. It's a beautiful hung when He speaks a word to us. My word is create, and He whispered it on my heart. 2015 is going to be great!

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    1. Create is a beautiful word from our Creator God. I think He put the need to create in us who are made in His image.

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  5. I like how you shared about your word. My word is Trust. I want to put all my trust in our Savior always.

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  6. I LOVE this, Elizabeth. "Endurance" can seem so negative, but real endurance means I am stronger. After all, the whole point in exercising is to build endurance! I love how God built your faith through the year by confirming and confirming. He has done that with my word, Forward, as well. Blogging about that today, I hope!

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    1. I did not want to embrace this word at all, but God changed my heart toward it through the many verses He gave me.

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  7. Hi Elizabeth,

    It's nice to be back here again. I enjoyed peeking over your shoulder at your Bible journaling and seeing how God has been whispering to you this last year. Your line noting the full circle was neat to me ("Do you see the full circle there? Joy->Endurance->Mature Character->Joyful and confident Hope.").

    Exciting to wonder how God will be working in all of us, huh? Happy New year,
    Jennifer Dougan
    www.jenniferdougan.com

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    1. Jennifer, God really worked in me through His word to embrace this word and to trust that He meant it for me not to be dreaded, but to anticipate the promises connected with it in His Word. I'm actually excited about what He has ahead!

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  8. Beautifully written from your heart! You have encouraged me all year and have nudged me to accept my word for 2015...Believe. Mark 9:24 I do believe, but I find myself so often saying, Lord, help me overcome my unbelief! I'll be praying for you as you embrace "endurance" in 2015.

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    1. I think "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief" are six of the most powerful words in the Bible. I'm excited to see how God works in you through this word.

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    2. I do, too! Thanks so much for your encouragement! :)

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  9. Oh, endurance, well that makes me all kinds of excited for you. My word last year was courage, and man oh man did I need it. But I look back over my year with a word that was not so very chipper and it was the perfect word. I love that your word this year is so perfectly matched with last years word. I'm excited to see how endurance plays out for you.

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    1. I'm excited about it too, Lisa. God literally took the dread and evil foreboding out of it for me and has filled me with hope and anticipation.

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  10. Elizabeth, I am in awe of your post. I echo Barbie's sentiments if we all lived closer to have a cup of coffee and open God's word would be amazing. I had the word Thrive last year but this year I am feeling lead to Conformed. Romans 12:2 is the verse that I first felt drawn to, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Blessings Diana

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    1. Diana, your verse in Romans 12:2 is one of my life verses! I love that God wants to conform us to the image of His Son!

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  11. Thank-you for sharing what the Lord has shown you. I appreciate the connection between joy- endurance- mature character- hope that you laid out from scripture. As Christ followers we are being refined--we see/hear a word. God has a theme.

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    1. Carol, God was merciful to me to show me these things from His Word, because I truly did not want to embrace the word endurance at first. Now I have great hope and anticipation about 2015!

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  12. Reading this was like watching you and God, dancing together, talking together, sharing together. A relationship. A beautiful, loving, sacrificial, eternal relationship. Thank you for sharing your journey to accepting this word from God. Such an inspiring example, Elizabeth!

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  13. "Do not, therefore, fling away your fearless confidence" - how so much of that was missing in my "endurance" this last year. I was living a gritting my teeth holding on - Thank you so much Elizabeth, for sharing this. I am going to wear my fearless confidence that has always been such a part of me - I might have to dig deep to pull it out - but I am doing that right now!

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  14. A mighty word indeed, Elizabeth! It's funny, but when I hear the word *endurance* I think of trudging through a bunch of obstacles, overcoming all sorts of trials, and finally reaching the finish line exhausted and beat up. (Glass-half-empty-girl I am). But, your words, and what you've already gleaned from Scripture about this word has me thinking something totally different. There is a hope and a promise connected to the word endurance. It is a victorious word. A JOY-filled word.

    Endurance is standing firm, and running the race set before us with the fleet feet of faith!

    GOD BLESS!

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  15. Love this! It has such a powerful meaning and intention. So many times we see crisis and problems as that and we forget that God uses these to help our endurance. Hebrews is one of those books that I never read before until I did a Bible Study a few months ago and talk about a Scripture that just spoke to me and shook me to core. Happy New Year!

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  16. Wow! Elizabeth, I've been praying and searching about using the word Endurance for 2017. I read your new oneword post and realized that you had chosen endurance a few years ago, so I came here to read what you had said. I am at this same place, not really wanting this to be my oneword. I can see that my goals for the new year will definitely need endurance to make them happen. I'm glad to read this and see that you had the same struggles and came out on the other end! Thank you.

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