On Guard

Happy January 1st!  Happy New Year, friends!! =)

Last night was our 3rd year in a row of dinner at Osaka followed by ringing in the new year at the Wilsons'!! We played Heads Up (which is always entertaining), then we all talked about our goals and resolutions for the year ahead (I love hearing everyone's), then we played Nertz right up to midnight (Kyle and Sarah dominated, as per usual)! We "cheers"ed to 2018, then we ate cookiecake and Ludger's chocolate cake... (Evan and Chet had been off sweets for all of 2017, so there was much rejoicing at the stroke of midnight! lol)

Okay, on to the more serious realm, my word for 2018 is GUARD, as in "Guard what God has entrusted to you." (1 Timothy 6:20, my verse for this year).

I love that Bible Hub shows you several translations - when you combine them, it says to guard the deposit God has entrusted and committed to your care. Some translations keep this whole verse together as one sentence, so the second half helps explain the first. We guard what God has entrusted to us by avoiding godless, foolish, worldly, irreverent, empty discussions AND opposing arguments that use what is falsely called knowledge.

This guard command appears several times through the Bible... 

• Guard My instructions as you guard your own eyes. (Prov. 7:2)
• Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. (Prov. 4:23)
• Since you don't know when that time will come, be on guard! (Mark 13:33)
• So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife. (Mal. 2:16)
• Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. (1 Cor. 16:13)
• Guard against every kind of greed! (Luke 12:15)
• His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:7)
• So guard yourselves and God's people. Feed and shepherd God's flock... (Acts 20:28)
• ...Carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you. (2 Tim 1:14)
• So be on guard, then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. (2 Peter 3:17)

I want to do a better job of guarding my heart and emotions, guarding my thoughts and purity, guarding God's truth, guarding my physical and mental and spiritual health, guarding my time (especially my time with Him), guarding my reputation, guarding my friends and family and their reputations, and being on guard for temptation and spiritual warfare!! I want to remember that God has entrusted me with these things and to take that seriously. ❤

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My resolutions/goals for 2018 are to read through the entire Bible (New Living Translation), to host a monthly group dinner at my house, to strength train 2-3 times a week (I enjoy it more than cardio, and it's apparently more beneficial), and to do an alphabetical Trying New Things challenge... where I try one new thing every two weeks, starting with A and going through to Z by the end of the year! There are a couple other things I'd love to accomplish, but these are my official resolutions.

And that's all I've got for today! ❤