Spiritual Goals Month One: Bible Intake

In the first chapter of Genesis, the book of beginnings, is the account of God’s Word going forth to create light and life.  God’s Word went forth, and it was done.  His Word did not return to Him void, but accomplished all that He pleased.

This naturally points our minds to the spiritual.  It is God’s Word that goes forth to create in us a new man, a new creation.  “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”  James 1:18.

The basis of all spiritual regeneration, life, growth, sustenance, renewal and cleansing must begin with the hearing of the Word of God.

The “new man” began by the Word of God, and is sustained with the bread of life and the living waters of the Word of God.  God’s Word is nourishing to the inner man – it’s not a fast food, or a junk food that satisfies only for a moment.  While it is a food that we do not “naturally” have a taste for, we can acquire a hunger and thirst for this life-sustaining nourishment by repeated and consistent exposure to it.

And so at the beginning of this New Year, we focus first on the basis of all new spiritual beginnings – the intake and nourishment of God’s Word.

Refer back to your journal pages “Assessment of Spiritual Habits” (if you haven’t already done this, you can find the template at: https://www.magnifyhimtogether.com/2018/12/31/spiritual-goals-journal-part-3-reaching-for-the-goal-of-the-prize-of-gods-high-calling/).  Review where you assessed your personal Bible intake on the goal wheel from the first assessment page, and then review what you noted as you identified to reach the next “level” in the habit of “Bible Intake.”

This journal page builds on the “Assessment” journal pages.  At the top, there is a place to fill in your specific, measurable objective.  Your goal may include reading a certain amount of Scripture by the end of the month.  It may include reading at a certain time of the day or with certain people.  It is worth figuring out a Bible reading “plan” for the year.  This Bible Reading Planner is one option: https://www.magnifyhimtogether.com/2018/11/14/daily-bible-reading-planner-plus/.  Another option is reading through the Bible chronologically:  https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-reading-plan/chronological.html.  There are plenty of other options as well, but it is worth having a specific plan, whatever that may be, so that your reading is thorough.

Immediately following the “Objective” is a place to document challenges you might face in meeting your goal.  For instance, if you intend to read together as a family after dinner every night, think through and write down what you will do on nights when you are not home as a family.  Finally, the rest of the page is a daily tracker to take notes as you go through the month.

Monthly Discipline Journal Page

 

Don’t forget to also print off a monthly attribute page to think through an attribute (or spiritual fruit) that you would like to focus on this month!

Month Attribute Focus

 

 

Over the next few weeks we hope to share a Bible chapter journal pages (one for adults and one for children) to jot down notes, observations and applications, and also Bible intake resources like phone apps and websites (please email us if you have resources that you like!) .

At the end of the month, we plan to also share a monthly reflection journal page.

Magnify Him Together
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