Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Worry”
Our Bible verse for today: “I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “God designed you to flourish, not to simply exist.”
In his Bible study, “What on Earth Am I here for?” Pastor Rick Warren stresses the great truth that God has designed us to flourish in life, not to simply exist. Rick urges us to identify those activities which really excite us, which give us a great sense of accomplishment and fulfillment, and to realize that those interests and desires are an important part of how God designed you. You are a unique individual created by God with certain talents and abilities and you will be at your best, getting the most joy and satisfaction from life, when you are engaged in the activities for which God specially designed you.
What does that have to do with our theme this month of “Worry”? Only this: There is joy and satisfaction in accomplishment. And when we’re accomplishing things that are meaningful to us, we are much less likely to succumb to worry and distress.
Author Eric Greitens sounds a similar theme in his book “Resilience” when he writes, “Flourishing is a fact, not a feeling. We flourish when we grow and thrive. We flourish when we exercise our powers. We flourish when we become what we are capable of becoming.”
Greitens further notes that we flourish in life when we use our God-given skills and abilities to accomplish meaningful things that make a difference in the world. That kind of flourishing is rooted in action and comes about as we make good choices and strive to become the people God designed us to be.
There is indeed joy and satisfaction in accomplishment, and God did not create you to simply exist but to flourish. When you are flourishing, you will do a lot less worrying.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 