Lesson One

MY ONE WORD

(from MyOneWord.org)

Series Bottom Line:

The normal, natural pace of your life will not likely lead you to Spiritual Formation

WEEK #1: “Something About One Thing”

Do SOMETHING about One Thing instead of NOTHING about Everything!

Key Verse: Psalm 119:5 (NAS) Oh that my ways would be established on order to keep you word

EVERYBODY WANTS TO CHANGE

It is expected that 90 million Americans make New Year’s Resolutions.

It is expected that 75% abandon them by February.

Personal change is on our minds this time of year. And the way we tend to handle our desire for change is by making resolutions- sweeping promises never to do what we’ve always done. Sweeping promises do not work!

New Year’s Resolutions are really just Last Year’s Confessions. We swear we will be more organized, because we are terribly organized.



NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

• They are Too Vague: “I want to be in better shape!” (Does this mean touching your toes or running a marathon?)
• They are Too Shallow: “I want to be a better person!” (Better than who? This forces you to look around & compare- not inside & change!)
• There are Too Many: The list of the things we want to change is endless. People often pick too many changes they want to focus on.

Focus implies that we narrow down our vision. You simply can’t focus on all those things. So we are challenged to pick one... and do something about it!

Everybody wants to change- Few people do. Yet, we are called to change (See Romans 12:2).

           The problem is that we do not arrange our lives for God’s work to be done in us.

PICKING ONE WORD Over the next three weeks, you will be challenged to abandon the New Year’s Resolutions in exchange for My One Word.

     Instead of making a list of promises to keep, you will pick ONE WORD that will serve as a lens      through which you will see your life and through which you will see God’s work in your life.

THE BEAUTY OF MY ONE WORD

     A Single Sentence tends to address our Behavior!

     A Single Word Focuses on our Character!



My One Word is an exercise that will help you pay attention to the condition of your heart and remain focused on what God wants to do in your life throughout the entire year.

You will resist the temptation to deal with everything that needs to be changed in your life and... do something about one thing instead of nothing about everything!

HOMEWORK: Define the kind of person you want to become.

“What kind of person do you hope to be by the end of this year?”

Resist Regret: Resist the tendency to promise not to be what you have been.

Future Focused: Stay focused on the vision of the person you believe God is calling you to be.

Describe the characteristics of that person and the condition of their heart! Write it down!

There is no need to rush. You will have the entire month to create your list and narrow down that list into your One Word for 2018. We will pick them and begin this incredible process together.