I’ve been a Christian 35 years, yet I need Jesus more today than ever. Or maybe I just understand more than ever how much I need Him.
Last fall I started reading the book of John with a college student who was struggling to believe. At first I thought I was doing it to encourage her, but apparently, 21 year old college students aren’t the only ones who need more of Jesus. So do 52 year old home schooling writer moms.
I realized that I, more than anyone, need a fresh revelation of my Savior. I need a bigger vision of His glory, greater understanding of His power, and a fresh revelation of His love for me.
We all need more Jesus, don’t you think?
Doctors, engineers, garbage collectors, farmers, housewives, and prison inmates need more of Him. We need a clearer picture of who He is. We need sharper vision to see His hand at work in our lives. We need spiritual sensitivity to hear His voice, and more wisdom to understand how He wants us to live.
As I read through John, I saw the miracle of Jesus all over again:
When I read the opening chapters of Jesus’ story, words of invitation leap out at me: “Come and See.” “Follow Me.” I want to respond to His invitation. I want to come and see Him with fresh eyes. I hope to get to know Him better and follow Him more closely.
My word for 2017 is Jesus.
I want more of Jesus in my life. I need to learn how to slow down more to draw nearer to my Savior. I need His love in my heart, His words in my mind, and His power to work in me. I long for the light and life His Holy Spirit brings.
I’m choosing the word “Jesus” for 2017 because no other word says more about what I want for my life this year. I want Jesus to be my biggest focus and my first love. I hope to grow more like Him. I believe He stands knocking at the door and waiting for all of us. He calls us to more.
Do you want more of Him too?
Join me each Tuesday in January for a series called “More of Jesus.” Each week I’ll write about a different aspect of our relationship with our Savior. On February 7, I’ll have a free Bible study here for you. “10 Days to More of Jesus and His Word” will take you through the opening chapters of John and show you ten different ways to do devotional Bible study.
Jesus. Let’s open the door to more of Him today by calling on His name.
Let’s invite Him to come in. Let’s Draw Closer to Him. Let’s Lean in and Listen.
When we open the door and invite Jesus in, He won’t disappoint us. No matter where we are, He always comes to meet every need, and we discover Him all over again.
Now it’s your turn: Thoughts? Do you choose one word for your year?
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I’m linking up with Holly Barrett’s #TestimonyTuesday, Kelly Balarie’s #RaRaLinkup, Holley Gerth’s Coffee for your Heart, Lyli Dunbar’s #ThoughtProvokingThursday, and Arabah Joy’s Grace and Truth. Check out these communities for more encouragement.
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This is a great focus for the year, Betsy. We definitely all need more of Jesus. I’ve just started reading through John’s Gospel and I was also struck by the invitations to “come and see.” No matter how well we know him we can always go deeper.
My word for the year is “voice.” Hope you have a wonderful 2017!
Lesley, I just read your post, and I LOVE that word “voice.” You are so creative.
I couldn’t agree more! Jesus is more than enough. Happy New Year, Betsy. Hope you had a great holiday.
Blessings to you
Thank you, Ifeoma. Blessings to you at the start of this new year.
Betsy,
What a great and perfect word….the Name above all names…Jesus! I’ve been a Christian for a long time and like you, I yearn for God to give me fresh eyes when I see my Savior. Don’t let me skim over scripture with a ho-hum attitude. You are going straight to the source and I think that is a great place to be.
Cheering you on….I’ll reveal my word in my next post…
Blessings and Happy New year,
Bev
Thank you, Bev. Yes, let’s not just skim over scripture. You have such a knack with words, friend. I like that Skim over Scripture. I mean the words, not the concept! 🙂
Hey Betsy! Love your word – it’s the best one of all! Yes, I too am seeking more of Jesus this year. My word is PEACE, specifically the peace that Jesus talked about when he said, “My peace I leave with you…” I am ready to join you as we draw closer to him. Blessings!
Yes to more peace, Kristine. I’ve been thinking about peace a lot, especially in our high anxiety world. His peace is not like this world’s peace. And yes, let’s draw closer!
What an amazing word! I predict that you are going to have your hands and your heart full as God unpacks truth for you about His Son and all that HE has done for us.
Blessings, Betsy!
(Your new picture is lovely.)
Hands and heart full, amen to that! Thank you for that blessing. Not sure what it will mean to have my hands full…. 🙂
“Or maybe I just understand more than ever how much I need Him.” Goodness, this is so true. It seems with each passing year, I see how much more I need Him than I ever imagined I could. Blessings to you, Betsy!
Right? Me too, Liz. You’d think we could get ourselves together, but in reality we just need Jesus more! I guess that’s grace!
As a homeschooling mom looking for just a study as this to start my year. To refresh my love for my Lord. I will be looking forward to spending time with my sweet Jesus.
May the Lord bless your year homeschooling, Cindy. May He bless your time in His Word and truly refresh you. 🙂
Betsy, I’m with you! More of Jesus. Sometimes I simply utter His name as a prayer. There is so much comfort and strength in that simple act. I absolutely adore your word for 2017! My word is “be.” I am a doer! In “understand(ing) more than ever how much I need Him,” I long to learn to “be” in 2017. Making time to sit with Him, and allowing Him to sit with me. Happy New Year and God’s richest blessings on you, sweet friend!
Amen! What a great word, Betsy!
I think “Jesus” is a perfect word for 2017~
Sure am blessed by you and by your ministry!
Melanie
Thank you, Melanie! I appreciate you too.
Yes I need more or Jesus and I agree that I as I know Him more, I understand the deep need daily. I love that you chose the word “Jesus” as your one word and I can’t wait for your series “More of Jesus”. I know it will bless me but many others too. Happy New Year Betsy!
Thank you, Mary. Yes, we do need Him more each day. I’m needing Him right now at 5 o’clock as I realize I didn’t get near as much done as I wanted today, and a dinner guest arrives in one and a half hours! 🙂
Jesus.
Yes, yes, Betsy.
Everything else just pales in comparison, doesn’t it.
Thanks for the gentle reminder …
By the way, we see Him in you.
Thanks so much for your encouragement, Linda. This means a lot to me. 🙂
Wow, Betsy, this is so much in line with my focus for 2017. Eventhough I have a different word for the year, when I read this I saw so many parallels, including the desire to see Jesus with fresh, new eyes.
I will definitely be following along and sharing your words with others.
New Year blessings to you, my friend.
Thanks so much, Marva. I appreciate you and your vision, your desire to serve Jesus and to serve others. 🙂
Such lovely words, friend, and THE lovely Word – Jesus. Almost makes me wish I’d thought of it! This 52 year old mom needs to learn more of Jesus too. I know your series will be wonderful! My word – I thought – was minimize. Because I want to pare down oh so badly in my house, my stuff, and my mind. But it came to me today (after I blew out a tire) that I really just need to be humble. Accepting of God’s plans and not always worried about mine. Humility is my one word for 2017. A word I think fitting for you, Betsy, because you exude this in your posts and your support.
Happy New Year, friend!
Wow, Ruthie, what a gift your comment is to me. Sorry about the tire blow-out, friend! May the Lord bless you greatly this year. Minimize and humility are related, don’t you think? And I guess we’re the same age! 🙂
Thank you for this, Betsy. I haven’t chosen a word myself, but I can’t think of a better one than Jesus. Coming to understand how high and wide and long and deep his love is is enough to keep us going for a lifetime–and beyond.Blessings in 2017!
Yes! High and wide and long and deep. That’s how I want to be rooted in His love. Happy New Year to you, Jeannie.
What a great Word to focus on, Betsy! Your hunger to always be going deeper with Jesus is an inspiration. I dan only imagine what this will look like in your life after a year of focusing on Him as your one Word. 🙂
I definitely want more of Jesus in my life too. And one area where I am going to be more intentional this year is in seeking Him more deliberately. And Intentional is my word for the year.
Great post!
Yes, Jeanne. Intentional is a wonderful word. I want to be intentional about my relationship with Jesus, also about letting more of Him get inside me!
Loved this, Betsy! And yes, we all need more of Jesus! I am looking forward to reading your posts each week. May you have a blessed 2017!
I love that you’ve chosen Jesus as your One Word! This is true for me too: “I’ve been a Christian 35 years, yet I need Jesus more today than ever. Or maybe I just understand more than ever how much I need Him.” I need him more than ever too. Looking forward to your insights on the book of John.
Betsy, this is so beautiful. I love your word, too, and why you’ve chosen it for 2017. I also need more of Jesus … in all the ways you describe. (Love the new photo, too). Happy New Year, my friend!
Thanks so much, Lois! I look forward to reading more of your writing in 2017!
Love, love it when Jesus shows up and opens our eyes even more to Him and His plan for us. Just say #Jesus! Here’s to more Jesus this year Betsy!
Amen, Jill! Yes to just saying #Jesus! We’re together in this!
What a beautiful, simple choice for your 2017 word. Mine is Act, and my theme verse is Isaiah 26:3.
Blessings to you in this new year! Visiting from #thoughtprovokingthursday
Act is such a powerful word, Sarah. I like the scripture you have paired up with it. That is one of my all-time favorites: You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
Wow, Betsy–I love your word. And, I love your January plans. I’m so intrigued by the Name that has power, just by speaking it. Such a mystery is our God. So thankful for Jesus. — Speaking of the 1 John verses. I’m, coincidentally, reading 1 John right now, and I’ve been using my NLT for the last couple of years… normally I love the NLT phrasing, but not in this case. The NLT doesn’t have nearly the eloquence of other versions with these well-loved 1 John verses. — I”m still working out the details of my word, but hope to share it next week. 🙂 New Year blessings to you, Betsy. Look forward to hearing how your Word (literally THE Word) impacts your life this year. xoxo
Hey Brenda! Thanks so much for sharing with me your experience of reading 1 John, Brenda. That blesses me to know you are reading it, friend. 1 John 4 answered my question, “What’s the big deal about Jesus, anyway?” when I was 18 years old. And that’s when I asked Him into my heart. Blessings on your new year. May the Lord lead you and your ministry.
Wow, Betsy! I love this! I don’t have a “word” for this year … but a few years ago, my heart yearned to study more about Jesus … I “happened” to have several books … Philip Yancy’s … a devotional by John MacArthur … and I think something else … guess what … I never pursued it … and any time I think about it, I regretted not pursuing a deeper study of our Savior. You have me thinking ….
Thanks so much for reading, Dianne. Blessings on you and your ministry this coming year. On your family as well. Whether you do a special study or not, may Jesus reveal more of Himself to you this year!
I love that your word is Jesus because that is all we really need. I have been feeling the same need to be refreshed by Jesus… to learn from him, and love him more, so I look forward to your series.
Yes, Kira. He is all we really need. Blessings to you as you pursue more of Him. May He refresh you. Praying for that now.
Amen Betsy! Jesus is such a wonderful word to carry throughout the year. I love how He reveals things to us that deepen our relationship and grow our faith in Him. I always look forward to visiting here for the words of wisdom you provide. Have a fantastic weekend and many blessings to you and yours in 2017!
Thanks so much, Horace. Blessings to you too. Yes, He always draws us nearer.
Love that Jesus is your word for the year ~ This sounds like a great series!!
Thank you, Tracey. Blessings to you!
Jesus. His name says it all! A great way to focus for the year.
Amen!