Day By Day
1.  "Oh That My Words Were Now Written!"
2.  Devotional Journals
3.  Bible Study Journals
4.  Prayer Journal
5.  A Gratitude Journal
6.  A Things To Do Journal
7.  A Helpful Journal


1.  "Oh That My Words Were Now Written!"

With just a week before the New Year, it is a good time to talk about keeping a journal.  Betty, my Mother In Law, gave me my first journal for Christmas in 1983.  I started writing down stories of my life as a young mother.  I didn't write in it every day, but I did keep journals for several years as our lives progressed from having one little boy, to having four boys and one girl.  Reading one of those first journals is like opening a window to the past.  Since that time I have written different types of journals and that is what I want to talk about this week.  Maybe one of the ideas will interest you and encourage you to start the New Year with a new book of your life, written by you!  "Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!"  (Job 19:23)

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2.  Devotional Journals

I started writing my journals as devotional journals.  As I wrote my first journals I tried to see how God was leading me as a young mother with a growing family.  I often began my entries with Bible verses, and I tried to use God's Word to guide me in my journey of training my children in the ways of the Lord.  I depended on verses like Proverbs 22:6.  "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."  My devotional journal took a new route in 2003 when I started the "Lamp Unto My Feet" website.  Now my devotional entries are written on a computer and shared.  It is my constant prayer that God will use these simple devotionals to glorify His name, encourage those who read them, and help plant the seed of salvation to those who need to find the way to God.  As you begin the New Year seek the Lord through prayer and reading your Bible and look for ways He is guiding you day by day.  He has promised that those who seek Him will surely find Him.  "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."  (Jeremiah 29:13)  "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."  (Matthew 7:7-8)

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3.  Bible Study Journals

I have kept Bible Study Journals several times.  For these, I use notebook paper or composition books like I used in school.  As I begin with my Bible reading in January I pray and ask God to show me things from His Word.  I write down verses that would be good memory verses.  I write down verses that I have questions about.  Many times my questions are answered as I continue in my reading and I go back and add the scriptures where I found the answer.  One year I searched and found a chronological reading schedule which placed the scriptures in order and I made notes about how the historical books fit in time, with the prophecies.  It was very interesting and enlightening.  I often kept records of different topics in the Bible for our devotional themes.  When I decided on questions in the Bible I wrote down pages of questions that were asked by different people.  I don't remember everything that I write down, but I believe that writing it down helps me remember more, plus I can look back at my notes.  I believe that personal Bible Study Journals can help you to understand more of the Bible if it is your first time reading through the Bible, or if you have read it a dozen times or more.  Many times I write a grocery list and keep it on the refrigerator.  I have found that I am more likely to remember what I need if I write it down, even when I forget to take the list with me to the store.  A personal Bible Study Journal is a great help in learning more from God's Word.  The Holy Spirit can speak to us and guide us as we read and study God's living Word.  "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."  (Psalm 119:105)  "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."  (II Timothy 2:15)

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4.  Prayer Journal

I have a large family and I like to pray for them each day.  I believe that God hears and answers our prayers and I often ask the Lord to help them in specific needs they have.  I also hear the prayer requests for friends at church and I try to lift the names of all that I can think of when I pray.  I also see so many friends on facebook that ask for prayer for a special request.  I try to pray for each one right then because it is sometimes hard to remember each one.  We are a needy people.  A Prayer Journal is good to help you remember those you want to pray for.  It can be as simple as a list to remind you or you can take a small journal and write specific prayer requests and leave space at the bottom of each page to record how God answered that prayer.  I believe that it is good to give God all the praise for the prayers He answers in our lives.  A journal is a good way to do that.  There are so many verses in the Bible which exhort us to pray, and the one I chose today is an easy one to remember.  "Pray without ceasing."  (I Thessalonians 5:17)  Let's begin the New Year resolved to walk daily with the Lord in prayer.

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5.  A Gratitude Journal

On January 1, 2015, I started keeping a Gratitude Journal.  Each entry had the date at the top and began, "Today I am thankful for..."  Every night before I went to bed I wrote a short paragraph on something I was thankful for that day.  It is amazing how many things we can be grateful for when we take the time to think about it.  The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy about the perilous times that would come in the last days and he included the sinful condition of mankind.  "For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,"  (II Timothy 3:2)  Paul included the sinfulness of being "unthankful" with the proud, blasphemers, and unholy.  A Gratitude Journal would be easy to keep in a small notebook, or even on a calendar.  At the top of your calendar you could write, "Today I am thankful for..." and each night complete the thought in the correct space.  "O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever."  (Psalm 107:1)  This verse is found several times in the Bible and is a great place to begin with your thankfulness.  God is good!  And we could never thank Him enough for His mercy!

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6.  A Things To Do Journal

When Susanna gave me a journal that had "With God All Things Are Possible - Matthew 19:26" on the front cover it did not take me long to decide what type of journal to keep in 2017.  The "All Things" was in big letters and I thought it would be good to keep a Things To Do Journal.  When I invite people over to visit, or I have a big project to complete, I often make "To Do" lists to help me get everything, or at least the important things, done in time.  This was the first time I tried to follow through with things to do for an entire year.  To begin the journal I started writing down something that I needed to do at the top of the first few pages.  Some things had to wait on good weather, such as putting up a bird feeder outside my kitchen window.  I listed things I wanted to remember, as a page for birthdays and special days for the following two months.  When I wanted to clean my kitchen cabinets I drew a simple picture of my cabinets and colored in each one as I sorted and checked expiration labels.  This task that seemed too big to complete was easier when I spread it out over several days.  My granddaughter Maggie is an organizer, like her Mama, and she enjoyed helping me pull things out of the lower cabinets.  I also added pages for my Bible reading and Prayer requests.  As each page was finished I folded down the top corner so I could flip to the ones that still needed work.  As spring and summer approached I had finished most of the indoor cleaning and started making lists for my garden and things to do outside.  It was great to see all the folded corners and know that those jobs were completed!  That turned out to be a great journal idea because it helped me remember to do the little things, and encouraged me to work on the larger jobs to get them done.  I noticed this morning that my cabinets need to be organized again, so I think it would be a great time to start another Things To Do Journal for 2019.  "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:"  (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

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7.  A Helpful Journal

I have enjoyed sharing some memories of the journals I have kept from time to time.  The last journal I want to mention is "A Helpful Journal."  A favorite of mine is my Garden Notebook.  I enjoy researching ideas that may be helpful for my vegetable garden.  I study guides to know the best time to plant for our area, and how deep to plant certain types of seeds.  I make notes on companion planting to know which vegetables grow well side by side and which ones to plant at different ends of the garden.  I write down things I learn from my own experience, such as making my rows farther apart so I can walk between the plants.  Some things I can't find answers to, like how to keep the squirrels from eating my corn... so I guess I won't take up the space for corn this year.

Another journal that has been helpful for me is a health notebook.  I tried to keep a food journal and pinpoint different foods that might be causing asthma attacks.  I miss eating peanuts and drinking certain juices, but life is easier without them.  I read and research ideas online and make notes of things to watch for, such as not becoming dehydrated.  I use my experiences and try to avoid being out in the extreme hot or cold weather.  I keep praying and hoping that I can use the information I gather to help my breathing. 

You may want to keep a notebook or journal on a hobby you enjoy or notes for a health issue.  A diet and exercise journal may help you reach some goals you set for your New Year's resolutions.  I hope this week of journal ideas has encouraged you to start your own journal this year.  It can be helpful, enlightening, and a joy to begin or end each day with your own special journal entries.  "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."  (Psalm 118:24)

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