Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Trusting God”
Our Bible verse for today: “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Just keep moving forward.”
Sometimes the best you can do is to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and just keep moving forward. But very often, that’s enough. In fact, much of success in life is simply a matter leaning into your situations and issues, pushing through them, and trusting the Lord to guide you and protect you along the way as you keep moving forward.
The Apostle Paul understood this well. For him much of his daily life consisted of dealing with difficult people and difficult situations. Beyond that, the future for him was often uncertain and even ominous. Paul’s strategy however kept him always looking forward and moving forward. He refused to dwell in the past or even to allow himself to become overly fixated on or discouraged by his current circumstances. His focus was always forward-looking.
That approach will work equally well for us. The great Christian writer Woodrow Kroll once observed, “If God was faithful to you yesterday, you have reason to trust Him for tomorrow.”
Yes. During those times when I do briefly glance backwards, I see that God was always there for me and He always brought me through whatever the situations were back then. And as I look around me now I see that I am not homeless, I am not hungry, I am reasonably healthy, and even though there are situations to deal with, overall life is pretty good. So as I look forward to tomorrow, and next week, and next month, and next year, I remember that God has a pretty good track record in my life. Therefore I can just keep pressing forward and trust Him for what lies ahead.
That goes for you too.
If life seems a little tough for you right now I encourage you to do what Paul did. Forget what is behind, don’t get too obsessed with the issues of today, focus on tomorrow, put one foot in front of the other, and trusting in God just keep moving forward.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 