Learning the Advantage of Diligence... slowly but surely: Part Three

For answers to questions 1-10 go to Part One For answers to questions 11-21 go to Part Two

22. What single blessing from God do you want to seek most earnestly this year?

My Answer: I find I am most blessed when I am given the opportunity to bless others. May the Lord cause my eyes and ears to be open and prepare my heart to be available to bless others and to pray for others for the glory of my Lord... seeking to serve and not to be served.

23. In what area of your life do you most need growth, and what will you do about it this year?

My Answer: Thinking to serve my husband in special ways. Ways that show him that I do love and respect him. Sometimes I get so busy I forget that it is not only a privilege to seek to serve and encourage and pray for my husband, but it is my primary ministry role.

24. What's the most important trip you want to take this year?

My Answer: My 2 older boys get to go to the Ligonier conference in March with my husband's parents. I would love to go with them... but cannot. So I will just have to live vicariously through their learning adventure. Actually I would love to go to the East Coast with my family as an historical field trip. But that will likely not happen this year considering our construction projects.

25. What skill do you most want to learn or improve this year?

My Answer: I would love to improve playing my 12 string guitar. I find it to be a huge stress relief to play that thing.

26. To what need or ministry will you try to give an unprecedented amount this year?

My Answer: That is private.

27. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your commute this year?

My Answer: I really cannot think as to how that applies to me.

28. What one biblical doctrine do you most want to understand better this year, and what will you do about it?

My Answer: I would like to further study particular redemption or limited atonement. I am a 5 point Calvinist, but I want to be able to explain it, by the grace of God, more succinctly to others.

29. If those who know you best gave you one piece of advice, what would they say? Would they be right? What will you do about it?

My Answer: Ummm... perhaps I should ask them instead of speculate and then get back with you on this.

30. What's the most important new item you want to buy this year?

My Answer: That's a secret.

31. In what area of your life do you most need change, and what will you do about it this year?

My Answer: Further diligence in the area of actively encouraging others... For example: not just pray for them, but call them and pray with them, or send them e-mails to let them know I am thinking about them, etc. I am SO BUSY... but then, this is something that I need to make a priority (This kinda goes along with questions #22 and 23)

The value of many of these questions is not in their profundity, but in the simple fact that they bring an issue or commitment into focus. For example, just by articulating which person you most want to encourage this year is more likely to help you remember to encourage that person than if you hadn't considered the question.

If you've found these questions helpful, you might want to put them someplace—in a day planner, PDA, calendar, bulletin board, etc.—where you can review them more frequently than once a year.

So let's evaluate our lives, make plans and goals, and live this new year with biblical diligence, remembering that, "The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage" (Proverbs 21:5). But in all things let's also remember our dependence on our King who said, "Apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

Copyright © 2003 Donald S. Whitney.

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