Huh? A scripture verse for the year?
Yup.
That's what I've decided to do this year—forgo the yearly "word of the year" for a scripture verse:
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14.
I rarely select a word for the year, and I truly had no intention of seeking out a scripture for 2019, but this one leapt off the page one morning while I was reading my Bible.
My heart beat a little faster. I read it again. It is simultaneously a cautionary and an encouraging scripture. And I love the last admonition, to do everything in love.
That scripture, 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, was exactly what I needed to read on that cold, January morning. It was as though God whispered those words into my ear.
I wrote down the reference so that I could ponder it later. I couldn't get it out of my mind all day.
Be on guard.
Stand firm in the faith.
Be courageous.
Be strong.
And do everything with love.
They don't sound like suggestions, do they?
Sometimes we need a strong word of encouragement, and that's what that scripture is for me.
Who knows what the future holds? No one but the Almighty. But this short scripture seems to be the perfect theme for my year, no matter what occurs.
*Here's a FB post from last week that shows where I read my Bible in the mornings:
These days, I style my hair differently and don’t use a hair dryer. The lamp by the fireplace is on a timer, and my honey doesn’t want me to use the lights in the cathedral ceiling (they’re a bear to change). So, I remembered this lamp we had in the basement. Soul fed, hair dried, hubby happy. I call that a win!