VOW: Resolutions — Psalm 39:1

Verse of the Week:

I said, “I will guard my ways
That I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle…”
Psalm 39:1

New Year’s Resolutions. Did you make any for this brand new year? How are you doing with keeping them? We all tend to make a few resolutions at the first of each new year. Fresh start, and all that. But often by the end of January many have fallen by the wayside.

You can probably guess what my resolution is for 2021. I actually made this resolution late last year. It is a daily struggle…

The verse above is one that I chose for scripture memory late last year. I decided to look up verses about the tongue and the mouth and begin memorizing them, because my mouth is what gets me in the most trouble! I have a biting and sarcastic tongue. I go to bed so many nights confessing this sin to God.

I also have a tendency to argue. Oh, who am I kidding!? Arguing is my go to stance 99.9% of the time! My mother knew what she was talking about when she said I would argue with a sign post. Also, with a teacher, my husband, my kids, the tv, myself… Since I am confessing, I should also add that I have been known to argue with God on occasion, and yet He still loves me!

As part of my resolutions for 2021, I am memorizing scriptures about the tongue and mouth. King David said:

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
Psalm 119:11

Since hiding (memorizing) God’s word is a way to avoid sin, then it is a practice that we should undertake. In King David’s time and even in the time of Christ, God’s word was not readily available to people for reading. Most people could not read and for those who could, scrolls and books were costly and rare. So the scriptures were taught to children from a very young age and they memorized it. Hebrew children were taught the Scriptures and by the time they were grown, they had often memorized the entire Tanakh!

In our time, we have such ready access to the Bible, that I fear we tend to take if for granted. We need God’s word as much as we need food. It should be our daily bread just as much as literal bread. So reading the Word daily and meditating on it is a great daily spiritual practice. Meditating on it becomes much easier when we know it by heart. When the Holy Spirit brings up a portion of scripture to your mind at the right moment, it can be a reminder not to sin.

Last year, I memorized James 3 since it is about the tongue. It is a very convicting little chapter, indeed! Verses 2-10 tell us that we can bridle our whole body by not stumbling in what we say. It paints a picture of horses that obey us and go where we want by a tiny bit in their mouths, and large ships go where the captain wants by a tiny rudder. The tongue is a very small part of the body, but it can defile our whole body because it is unruly and full of deadly poison. Yikes!

What scriptures do you need to commit to memory this year, as a safeguard against sin? What passages can you memorize that will bring you peace, calm your anxiety, give you courage, remind you of how powerful God is, keep His praise on your lips? There are endless benefits from knowing His Word!

Will you join me this year, and resolve to make scripture memorization a part of 2021? So that we will know Him more and sin less?

I would love to know what resolutions you are working on this year, why you chose them, and how they are going. I hope you will take a moment and share them in the comments.

Here’s to 2021 being a blessed year!