One Word

I am very excited to hear of many individuals already choosing their One Word for 2020. I want to remind you this is not a biblical mandate nor is it even a requirement of active participation within this fellowship. I believe you can find clear biblical direction about what kind of words should flow from your mouth. There is nothing better than quoting the Word of God if you are concerned about what comes forth from your lips. “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalms 19:14 “Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips”. Psalm 141:3 “The king is pleased with words from righteous lips; he loves those who speak honestly.” Proverbs 16:13 “The lips of the godly speak helpful words, but the mouth of the wicked speaks perverse words.” Proverbs 10:32 “For the Scriptures say, “’If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.’” 1 Peter 3:10 “Truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon exposed.” Proverbs 12:19 “It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” Matthew 15:11. These are just a few of the many verses which speak to us about the words which form first in our heart. I am constantly reminding myself to guard my heart because I can easily allow my thoughts to take off in the wrong direction. One Word cannot completely reshape your thinking and the direction of your life, but it can spark a significant change in focus. With poor guidance it can be very difficult to make good decisions on a daily basis. A small example is wanting to be successful in business, but you spend most of your day watching Shark Tank. Obviously, it will stimulate your entrepreneurial spirit but until you get yourself off the couch and start your own journey as an inventor, nothing will change! Committing yourself to One Word is like getting off the couch and dusting off the broken dreams of ideas from days gone by. You are saying, “God, You are my help, and You have been speaking to me about this area of my life, and I am going ‘all in’ in this area of my life.” You can see the potential for something great to spark into existence because you dare to believe God wants to use you in some significant way in 2020.

Let me remind you of my One Word, uncluttered, and this word requires a little explanation. Uncluttered is not primarily about cleaning things out. It does have an aspect of getting rid of junk which fills our lives. We should all want to get rid of the extra stuff in our homes, garages, sheds and even the field out back. More importantly it is activities we do every day that have no attachment to eternity. I admit, I watch too much television. An uncluttered life says no to screen time and yes to family time. An uncluttered life knows how to protect itself from useless thinking, and temporal time robbing decisions. An uncluttered life does not dwell on those things which are not pleasing or of good report. For me an uncluttered life means knowing stuff will not bring the lasting joy which is only found in doing God’s will. Please don’t confuse uncluttered with declutter, which is another good word. Maybe someone should consider this word, as your One Word for 2020; especially if you can’t get into a part of your home or garage. All of us should start using our garages for what they are intended. Uncluttered causes me to pause before I swipe my credit card or take a longer look at an item in the store and remember what my mother said to me years ago. “Joe, there are wants and needs; only buy what you need.” Thank you, mom, for this helpful advice. Uncluttered means there is space in your heart and soul to hear the voice of the Spirit. In 2020 my One Word is helping me have more room for God’s will.